Logan's Defense
by KelseyLoVe
Summary: Set near the end of A Trip to the Dentist. This is how the scene with the ceiling fan should have went down… LoVe style. And then the rest of the season based on that change.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Set near the end of A Trip to the Dentist. This is how the scene with the ceiling fan should have went down… LoVe style.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars, lucky Mr. Rob Thomas does.**

Veronica smiled as she lay back on the bed, arms crossed behind her head. She laughed lightly to herself as she heard the door close, signally Logan's departure. The events of that day had been more than stressful, and yet here she was lying comfortably, awaiting the return of her boyfriend. How could she have thought he was responsible for her being raped? She should have known by the look in his eyes when she told him she'd been raped that he'd had nothing to do with it personally. Sure, he'd had the drugs, and that was disappointing to say the least, but it was obvious that he felt terrible about how things had went down. She just had to trust Logan, which was hard considering their past, and Veronica's past alone, but she just needed some time and she was sure…

"What's that…?" Veronica asked quietly to herself, staring up at the ceiling fan. Her eyes wandered from the mysterious looking reflective circle in the middle of the fan to the white cord covering extending out from the fan, which had no business being there. She rose to her knees to try and get a better look, but was still unsure of what she was seeing. Instead of using just her eyes, she began to physically follow the white cord covering to a small bookshelf on the wall. She ran her hand along the center where it seemed that in actuality two bookshelves had been pushed together. What she found inside when she pried them apart made her heart drop. Two televisions and VCRs were there. She turned them on and was shocked to see a picture of the bed she was just laying on come into focus. Unbelieving she walked back to the bed and waved her hand over it. She was shocked to see her hand come into view on the television screen.

"So what's your poison?" Logan's voice rang cheerfully from outside the pool house, just before he popped inside.

Veronica jumped in surprise whipping around to face him. Logan looked at her, and then past her to the television screens. His eyes wrinkled in confusion and he lowered the bottles in his hands, "What…"

Veronica was shaken out of her daze enough to confront him, "So Logan… when you said you wanted me to trust you? You remember how I said that I did? Well, this just in… I don't." She glared him down briefly before storming past him outside.

"Veronica!" Logan yelled after her, throwing the bottles down on the bed and running after her. She was almost to the glass doors leading back to the party when he put his hand on her shoulder to flip her around.

"Let go of me!" she yelled pushing him off and backing up a step. "How can you look at yourself in the mirror? Asking me one minute to trust you, and then…I find out that you were hoping to get me to have sex with you… and that you were going to tape it on top of that. I can't believe the show you just put on in front of everyone, being my hero. You're such a better actor than your dad." Veronica spat it all at him, ignoring the pained look in his eyes.

Logan swallowed hard, letting her get it all out of her system before he tried to plead his case, "Veronica, I swear to you that I had no idea that video taping system was there."

"Really? Why should I believe you?" she asked cruelly, wanting badly on the inside for him to be telling the truth, but too afraid of being hurt if she believed him and he was lying.

Logan sighed, stretching his hand out to her, "Please just come back there with me and let me talk to you. Give me a chance to defend myself… you owe me that much, at least."

She looked down at his hand, remembering how she had abandoned him for their yachting trip and thinking how much that must have hurt him. He was right, she did owe it to him to at least try and plead his case. Veronica slowly extended her hand and placed it in his. Logan squeezed it gently, reassuringly, and smiled at her. The two walked silently back to the pool house. Once inside, Logan led Veronica to sit on the bed and he walked over to the television screens.

"Tell me what I can do to prove to you that I knew nothing about this?" he asked, somewhat to her, somewhat rhetorically. Logan looked around for something, anything, that would make her see that it must have been his dad's doing and not his. Veronica remained silent, unsure of anything that could back up his word. Logan poked around inside for awhile, before getting an idea. He put up his right index finger in triumph, "Ah ha!" He then used it to push the rewind button on the VCR. Veronica smiled slightly at him, before rising slowly and moving to stand beside him. After a few seconds Logan pressed play. The two looked at the screens expectantly, there was static for a moment and then a picture. What they saw there was definitely not what had occurred minutes ago between the two of them. The stars of this show were Aaron Echolls and some unknown woman.

"Ugh!" Logan yelled before somewhat violently hitting the stop button. He sighed, trying desperately to erase the image of his father on top of that woman, who definitely wasn't his mother, from his mind. "See? That was the last thing on the tape. I wasn't video taping you, and I sure as hell would never tape something like that," Logan affirmed quite adamantly. He turned to look at Veronica who was currently looking at her shoes.

Veronica nodded before looking up at him, "I'm so sorry I accused you."

Logan shrugged as if it didn't bother him, "I'm kind of getting used to the guilty until proven innocent motto with you. I'm just glad you didn't get to run off without letting me defend myself this time."

Veronica gave him a guilty smile, "Sorry… it's just how-"

He put his hand on the side of her face to silence her, "I know. It's just how you are. And that's pretty much okay with me, because I'm falling for every single part of you. I'm just going to have to be with you long enough that that voice inside of you screaming to doubt me because of what's happened between us in the past will shut up."

She laughed at this, being reminded again of how happy he made her.

"Or at least be quiet enough that I can drown it out…" he moved his fingers underneath her chin and made her look at him before covering her mouth with his. Veronica sighed against him as he walked her backwards towards the bed. She felt the back of her knees come into contact with it just before her feet left the ground as her legs were wrapped around Logan's back. He held her small body up with one hand pressed against her lower back, as the other supported the two of them as he gently laid her back. She smiled teasingly as she broke away from him for a moment, pushing herself back even further on the bed until she rested back against the mound of pillows. Logan looked like a lion as he crawled after her, with a predatory look in his eyes. When he reached her, she closed her eyes as the feeling of his body completely covering her own overtook her. He stayed there for a moment looking down at her with her lips parted and eyelids fluttering. Once she'd calmed herself, her eyes slowly found his own deep brown ones and locked. She saw the vulnerability hidden in them, something that she had rarely seen. He was opening up to her and showing her that she had nothing to fear of him. They were no longer a secret. He had told everyone they were together and had informed them that they meant nothing to him if they didn't accept it. She saw now that all of that had been the absolute truth. She felt the wall she'd put up to keep him, or anyone else with similar intentions, out start to crumble. There was still much work to be done to demolish it, but there was some light shining through it now as he took a few bricks out with just a look.

Logan recognized what was happening in that head of hers and could hardly contain himself. He could almost physically feel her giving him a little piece of herself. She had saw in him exactly what he'd wanted her to, that he was giving her everything. He understood that she wasn't ready to give it all yet; he couldn't blame her for that. Just the fact that she was giving him anything was a big step in the right direction.

He brushed a strand of hair off of her forehead, moving to caress her cheek. He leaned down and kissed her briefly. Pulling away just slightly he decided to break the beautiful silence they'd shared, "Still thirsty?"

Veronica smiled, and he melted, "I don't think thirst was the primary motivator in you going upstairs for 'refreshments'."

"You're probably right… Still want to drink away the agony of walking into the very full, unwelcoming house an hour ago?" Logan chuckled, rolling over onto his back. Veronica didn't skip a beat before rolling so that they'd simply switched positions and now she was on top.

"That was, to say the least, incredibly disappointing. I was almost looking forward to your dad's gourmet dinner. Something normal in our unconventional relationship," she said with a somewhat wry smile.

Logan returned that smile with one of his own and cupped the side of her face with his hand, "It'll get more normal. I promise. Like I said, secrets are kind of sexy, but this… you deserve to be more than a secret. Much more…"

She sighed and lay down to rest her head on his chest, "It's definitely not a secret anymore. Everybody knows now…"

"Don't say it like it's a bad thing. We can do this Ronnie. We're stronger than them," he assured her, running his fingers through her hair.

"I know… but what are we going to do about Duncan? He's your best friend. I don't want to be the reason he isn't anymore," she said peeking up to look him in the eyes.

Logan's lips curled up slightly in that goofy smile of his, "Duncan and I have been through a lot. We'll work this out. I'll talk to him, explain how it is. And he's with Meg now… so he can't really claim you anymore." He looked deep into her eyes, showing her that while Duncan couldn't, he definitely did, "It just sucks he had to find out like this. My dad sure has great timing."

"Yeah… that's the worst part. That he found out along with the rest of the school. We should have been the ones to tell him. Finding out the way he did…" she trailed off, looking down at Logan's shirt.

"It'll be alright. I'll take care of it… I'm going to take care of you," he said softly, in a caring tone that she'd so rarely heard pass his lips. It made her breath catch in her throat, just as it had when he'd said he was moving on, and when he'd said how he couldn't stand having hurt her when all he wanted to do was protect her. Veronica snapped her head up to meet his gaze, seeing the honesty in it, fully believing that he would do whatever he could to protect her, and take care of her. She tried so hard to be independent and take care of everything herself, not including all of the favors she enlisted, those were different. She asked for favors, but the deed was always done by her and usually her alone. She used to feel safer that way, barely letting her dad help her, even when she knew she needed it. But Logan made it seem safer to let him take care of her. Her heart told her she needed this, that she needed a break from doing it all alone. Logan was willing and able to take some of the weight off of her shoulders, and she should be willing and able to let him. Trusting him was going to be the scariest and potentially the most fulfilling thing she'd done in a long time, if ever. She knew she didn't have to, that she was risking everything she'd worked for the past year by doing it, but she was going to let him take care of her. She didn't want to be alone. She needed someone…. No… She needed Logan.

**Please review! I love and need feedback in order to get my creative juices flowing! You'll be helping the quick continuation of the story. : )**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: Set near the end of A Trip to the Dentist. This is how the scene with the ceiling fan should have went down… LoVe style.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars, lucky Mr. Rob Thomas does.**

**Author's Notes: If you happen to be a big Duncan fan, you might not like this chapter. Sorry, but he's been upsetting me a bit on the show lately and I couldn't help it. This chapter and those following will have similarity to the actual show, because Rob Thomas did a lot of things right. But don't worry, it's got a lot of my own thrown in to make it much more... LoVely. Oh, and sorry if anyone thought she trusted him to soon. Once she let him explain himself, I didn't think she had anything to not trust him about. And it was, after all, Veronica herself who said she trusted him. : ) I'm just going with that. Enjoy!**

The next day at school everyone was abuzz with news of Abel Kootz's innocence. Beaver and Dick were standing in a corner outside the building, both with newspapers in their hands.

"There's phone records, man. An-an-and how do you explain the shoes, huh?" Beaver stammered, obviously worried.

"It doesn't mean jack. You need to chill out, Beav, right now. To the grave, man, that's what we said," Dick said a with conviction that Beaver lacked. Beaver just stared at him, still looking rather scared before shaking his head and walking away.

Veronica had a little more bounce in her step than usual as she entered Neptune High. Her father had single handedly proven that Abel Koontz couldn't have murdered Lilly, and she had Logan. They'd spent the rest of the night drinking their 'refreshments' in the pool house and talking. She'd reluctantly left him early enough in the night that her father wouldn't send out a search party. Now, despite how many looks she was getting, she held her head high. They weren't going to bring her down today. As Veronica made her way to her locker, she could see someone facing away from her and leaning against it. Through all of the people, and with her shortness, it was hard to make out who, but she smiled and quickened her step hoping it was Logan. Once she squeezed her way through the crowd and reached her locker, her face fell. It was not Logan; it was Duncan. She considered turning and running in the opposite direction, but the gasp she let out made him spin to face her.

"Duncan…" she breathed, speechless for one of the few times in her life.

"Veronica," he stated with little emotion. The only one she sensed in it was anger, but even that was well hidden.

She swallowed hard, "Duncan… I-"

"Don't." He held up his hand, obviously not interested in hearing what she had to say. "I just wanted to say that I don't appreciate that you guys were purposely keeping this from me. I'm sure you thought you were… I don't know, protecting me or something. But I feel a little… well betrayed would be a good word. By both of you. You've just been laying it on thick lately Veronica. I'm a murderer, a rapist, and you're going around with my best friend behind my back. I'm not sure what to expect next, really." He took a deep breath before continuing to a shocked and hurt Veronica, "And then there's Logan, of course. My best friend." Duncan laughed ironically, "What a joke."

Veronica sighed and tried to interject, "Duncan… we wanted to-"

"Stop!" he yelled, "Just stop okay! I don't want to hear how much you wanted to tell me, but just couldn't think of the right words. Or how you didn't want to hurt me. Great job of that, by the way." He took a step towards her, and she instinctively took one backwards. This was apparently a mistake as well as he laughed again, "Scared I'm going to kill you, too?"

Veronica kept backing up, unsure of just how upset he was, and not knowing how he would express just how upset he was. "Duncan, I think we should try and talk about this another time. When you've calmed down."

"Right. That's a great idea," he continued. The hallways had nearly cleared now as the bell signaling they had one minute to get to class rang. He walked after her as she went backwards, never allowing her the distance she so desperately wanted.

"Please Duncan. The three of us just need to talk about this, and I'm sure everything will work out," she continued backing up straight, until she reached the end of the hallway and made a right turn. Her backward mobility was hindered by a large body. She connected and almost lost her footing, but two arms wrapped around her waist before that was possible.

"Just the girl I was…" Logan trailed off as Duncan bounded around the corner. The two looked at each other for a moment, and Logan made sure Veronica had her bearings before stepping slightly in front of her. "Is there something going on here that I should know about?" he asked, keeping a protective hand on Veronica's stomach.

Duncan considered the question a moment, "I could've asked the two of you the same thing a few days ago."

"Look Duncan, we messed up. Not in being together, but by waiting too long to tell you we're together," Logan took a steadying breath, trying not to think of what Duncan might have done had he not found them. "It's not like we planned this. We wanted to see how things went with just us before getting anyone else involved. Didn't want to get everyone all in a huff for no reason."

The two stared at each other in silence, until it was broken by the bell going off again, signaling they were all late to class. Duncan simply shook his head, turned on his heel and went towards the door leading out of the building.

Veronica let out a long sigh of relief. Logan spun her around to face him, holding her out at arms length, "Are you okay? If he even touched you…" Logan assured her, somewhat frantic. He squeezed her shoulders gently, begging her to respond.

She smiled slightly at his intense look of concern, "No worries. Rage has been his immediate response to seeing me for the past few weeks now. I could handle him with my eyes closed and my hands tied behind my back, with all the experience I have with it."

Part of him wanted to smile at her flippancy towards the situation, but he couldn't bring himself to until he was sure she was alright. He looked into her eyes and could see she wasn't hiding anything. He let out a sigh of relief and pulled her in tightly to him, squeezing her as tightly as he thought she could stand. After a moment Veronica maneuvered her hands in-between the two of them and pushed just enough to get him to relax his hold, "Logan… I'm okay. I promise."

He looked down into her eyes, "I know… I just… I got scared."

Veronica squinted her eyes in confusion and slight amusement, "Scared? Of what?"

He shook his head, "Well, it started this morning when I picked up the paper and saw that Abel Koontz wasn't the one who murdered Lilly. Which, of course, made me remember all the things you'd told me about the possible other suspects." Logan took a stabilizing breath before continuing, "When I saw one of them running around the corner after you…"

Logan looked down at his shoes and clenched his fists, struggling with whether he was furious or just terrified. Veronica put her hand on the side of his face and made him meet her gaze. "Logan… You stopped him before anything could happen. You were my knight in shining armor." She joked and then smiled, trying to get him to do the same.

"But what if I hadn't been right around this corner?" He said, ignoring her joke, "When I think of him putting his hands on you, hurting you… It makes me crazy." Logan had been pacing and stopped then to look at her. "I meant everything I said last night. I want to protect you… from Duncan, from my jerk friends, from everything. It's all I want to do, Veronica."

"I know you do," she said closing the space between them. She kissed him chastely on the lips, "We'd better get to class. We'll have to deal with Duncan after school hours if we don't want to be stuck in detention for all eternity."

"Yeah… but at least we'd be together sugar puss," he quipped, pulling her flush against him, smiling his goofy grin.

"How romantic… you… me… and the rest of the juvenile delinquents of Neptune High," she quipped right back, swooning up at him.

"Alright, alright… we'll be good kids for once." Logan gave in and gave her a kiss on the forehead, "I'll meet you at your car after school."

"I'll be counting the seconds," she sighed, batting her eyelashes.

"Laugh it up, but these next few hours without me are going to be a real test of your self control. Just how long do you think you can last without seeing this perfect representation of the human specimen?" Logan asked with a smirk on his face as he backed away from her, hands in the air.

Veronica just laughed before rounding the corner towards her class. Logan turned as she went out of sight and a giant grin began to form. For the first time since Lilly's death, he'd finally found something that made him happy.

**Feedback is much appreciated! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. : )**


	3. Chapter 3

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Summary: Set near the end of A Trip to the Dentist. This is how the scene with the ceiling fan should have went down… LoVe style.

Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars, lucky Mr. Rob Thomas does.

**Author's Notes:Hey everyone! Sorry it took a while to get this one up. I had a rough end to my week. Anyway, this one's a little short, but the next chapter is already close to done, so... Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. For both the praise and constructive criticism. I appreciate it all. Alright, on with it... Oh, andVeronica's thoughts/voice oversare in italics.**

Veronica was alone in the journalism room, doing some research on an article she was assigned to do for the school newspaper. It was her lunch hour, so she was trying to finish up quick before she went out to face the unwelcoming masses of Neptune High. She wasn't yet sure whether she was supposed to try and sit with the '09ers like back in the old days, or stay at her loner table with fellow loner, recently turned basketball star, Wallace.

_I will be seen doing the awkward, but cool, new kid in school routine of standing in the middle of the crowd searching desperately for a kind face to allow me admittance to their table. I can hardly contain my excitement._

Veronica sighed as she began logging off the computer, "Might as well get this party started." She stood and started gathering her things, when she was startled by a familiar, yet surprising voice.

"Hello?" Beaver called quietly into the dark room, taking a step inside.

"Beaver?" Veronica asked, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

He took a few more cautious steps towards her, "It's, uh… it's Cassidy. My real name's Cassidy."

Veronica smirked on the inside at his nervousness, "What can I do for you Cassidy? I'm kind of on my way out."

"Well, there's something that you should know. It's for your own good," he stated, in a terribly vague manner.

Veronica's heart sped up a little at this. She searched her mind quickly, wondering what information he could have for her, "Spill."

"Well… the weekend that Lilly was killed, me, Dick, and Logan… We were down in Mexico, surfing." Cassidy didn't tell her anything she didn't already know.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "I know this."

"Yeah… Well Logan… he, uh, he got-he got all worked up, you know, talking about how he knew that Lilly was seeing somebody new," Cassidy rushed out.

This made Veronica slightly more interested in where he was going, but still was unsure of what he was getting at, "Yeah."

"So he got up early that morning, the day that Lilly was murdered, he drove back to Neptune to see her," he finished.

Veronica's breath caught in her throat, "You're sure?"

He nodded, "Yeah… I'm sorry, but I had to tell you. I know you and Logan are together, or whatever… so I thought you should know."

Veronica's mouth hung open at all the things that that little tidbit of information could mean.

Cassidy sighed at her shock, "And I thought if anybody could do something about it, it was you."

She swallowed hard, before nodding, "Who else knows?"

"Just me and Dick." He responded immediately, and she believed him. "We swore to each other we'd never tell anyone. If Dick finds out I told you…"

"Don't worry. I don't think there's any need for Dick to know you've talked to me," Veronica stated, moving into detective mode. "Is there anything else you can tell me about that morning. What kind of mood Logan was in? Did he tell you guys what he planned to do?"

He thought for a moment, "Well, I mean, he was pretty upset, like I said. He wasn't a raging lunatic by any means, but he was mad, that's for sure."

Veronica sat down on the table and pondered every word he said.

"He didn't really tell us what he was going to do. Just that he had to go see her. It sounded like he still wanted her back, even after everything she put him through. Even though she was with another guy," he continued. Veronica wasn't sure if Cassidy was amazed at how much Logan had loved Lilly, or at how stupid he was for loving Lilly.

"Is there anything else you can remember? I mean anything, even if it seems insignificant it might be important," Veronica prodded.

"Umm… he bought her something. It was a shot glass that said "I got baked in Ensenada." I guess that helps prove he still wanted to get back together, since he even got her a gift while we were there." He looked at Veronica and shrugged, "That's all I've got. You know Logan's one of my best friends. I don't want him to be guilty, but I couldn't keep that something like that to myself after I heard Abel Koontz was going free."

"I understand. Just swear to me that you won't tell another soul what you just told me," she said very sternly, standing and walking towards him.

Cassidy shook his head, "No-no, I wouldn't tell anybody else. I'm not that stupid."

"I hope not. Because you know I have the resources to bury you if this becomes public knowledge," she assured him before walking out of the classroom.

_Looks like I get to avoid my awkward moment after all. I've got more important things to do than eat… Unfortunately._

Veronica's stomach growled at her in protest as she made a turn away from the cafeteria.

**Feedback please! I will post the next chapter even sooner if I get just a little of it...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary: Set near the end of A Trip to the Dentist. This is how the scene with the ceiling fan should have went down... LoVe style. And then the rest of the first season based on that change.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars, lucky Mr. Rob Thomas does.**

**Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone who sent me feedback! It's much appreciated. Here is your reward! I hope you enjoy. Oh and thanks to Proffy for noticing my mistake of not putting Logan's name in the dialogue with Veronica in her father which would have clued Weevil in. This version of the chapter is fixed! Sorry to anyone else who was confused by that.

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A very distraught Veronica sat on the sink of the girls bathroom, "Beaver said that Logan had bought Lilly a shot glass that he found in a tourist shop down there." She was just finishing giving Keith the low down on her conversation with Cassidy. Her patent "Out of Order" sign was hanging outside to ward off any possible interruptions to her very important phone call.

"Does that seem odd to you?" he asked.

Veronica thought a moment, her feet swung over the edge, "Not that odd. Lilly collected shot glasses. Beaver said it said "I got baked in Ensenada" and she would have loved it." She ran a hand through her hair, not wanting to believe what all of this implied. She propped one leg up on the sink and rested her head on it a moment, willing Logan to be innocent.

"Are you all right, honey?" Keith asked, concerned after hearing the tone of her voice.

Veronica lifted her head and sighed, "Yeah, just... Logan." She wasn't going to let herself immediately accuse him. She had to give him a chance to defend himself, like she had with the video taping equipment. She would prove he couldn't have been the one who killed Lilly.

Suddenly Keith exclaimed, "Baked in Ensenada! Veronica!"

Veronica's face scrunched with confusion while she waited for her father to explain himself.

"Just a second, I need to find something," he told her, and she heard him moving around and rustling papers.

He remained silent for a few minutes, and the suspense was driving Veronica crazy, "What are you looking for?"

"This," Keith said, not elaborating, and obviously reading something.

"Dad…" Veronica pleaded.

"It's an inventory of everything in Lilly's bedroom, everything in Lilly's car," he went on in monotone, still reading, searching for something.

Veronica was about to scream with the frustration of wanting to know what he was trying to find.

"Shot glass. Baked in Ensenada," he read, having found what he was looking for, "It's here, it was in her car. You know what this means?"

Veronica allowed this to sink in and wanted to faint, "Means Logan found Lilly." She felt sick to her stomach, "But that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Right?" she asked somewhat meekly, hoping her father would agree.

"You know just as well as I do, Veronica, that this could mean everything," he said matter-of-factly. Veronica was silent on the other end of the line, knowing that he was right. "Honey, I think you should come home. I'm gonna need your help with some of this," he continued, somewhat sadly, sensing his daughter's confusion and distress.

"I can't. I have to meet someone after school," she explained in a half truth, knowing that if she told him it was Logan she had to meet that he would never allow it.

Keith sighed, "All right, but I want you to meet me at the office as soon as you can. I'll call you when I get more information on Logan's alibi."

"Thanks," she replied, with little enthusiasm.

"Hang in there sweetheart. I'll talk to you soon," he said, and with that they both hung up.

Veronica sat in the bathroom for a few more minutes, contemplating her next move. The bell rang, this time signaling the end of her lunch period. She reluctantly hopped down from her perch and exited the bathroom. Her sign was quickly lifted off of the door and slipped into her backpack. Stealthily, she moved through the hallways, which were still somewhat filled with other students hurrying to get to class. She didn't like the fact that she was clearly avoiding Logan, but she needed some time to get her thoughts, and facts, straight before seeing him after school. She only hoped her dad would call her with more news before then.

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Veronica made it through the rest of the school day without running into Logan. She took her cell phone out of her bag as she began to slowly make her way towards the exit of the school. Every few minutes during class she had checked to see if her dad had called her, but there was nothing.

"Come on…" she begged, staring at the phone, just before it started to ring.

"What'd you find?" she asked almost frantically.

"What, no 'Hi Dad! It just brightens up my day every time you call.' You disappoint me, Veronica," Keith joked, hoping to lighten his daughter's mood.

"Ha ha," she replied with sarcasm. "I'm sorry to say that the only thing that's going to brighten my day at this point is you telling me Beaver was lying about Logan."

"I'm sorry, sweetie. The Border Patrol got back to me. Logan's car crossed the border at 8:57 a.m. on the day Lilly was murdered. Beaver was telling the truth," he told her, reluctantly.

Veronica let out the breath she'd been holding, "He had plenty of time to get back to Neptune and kill her." Things just weren't looking up for Logan, and it was tearing her up inside. It wasn't probably the best idea, but she needed to talk to him and try and find out the truth. "Okay, I'll see you later," she said quickly, wanting to end the conversation so that she could begin her own side of the investigation.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, concerned that everything that had been happening recently was starting to really get to her.

"I'm fine," she responded, knowing that he probably didn't believe her.

Keith resigned, not wanting to push her, "Love you."

"Love you, too," she answered, before quickly hanging up. She started to make her way down the hallway again when she heard movement behind her. Her head snapped around to see Weevil standing there. He had a knowing look on his face, and she knew he'd heard her conversation, "That's not what it sounded like."

Weevil contested her claim, "It sounded a lot like Logan killed Lilly. These rich boys think they can get away with anything, don't they?" He leaned in close to Veronica, before turning on his heel and walking away from her.

"Weevil!" she called out, and he stopped, looking over his shoulder. He quirked an eyebrow, silently asking her what she could possibly say that would convince him he'd been wrong in his conclusion. Veronica ran up to him, "Listen… I just don't want you to do anything rash…"

"Rash?" he questioned, angrily, "I wouldn't call seeking revenge against Lilly's killer a rash action."

She sighed, "It would be rash if you took your revenge out on the wrong person."

"Say the word, V," he prodded, "Tell me Echolls didn't do it."

Veronica looked at him silently for a moment. Weevil nodded, and started to leave again, but she grabbed his arm and stopped him, "I don't know… yet. I'm going to find out."

He looked at her skeptically, and then in annoyance at her hand on his arm. She quickly removed it before continuing, "We'll never know whether or not he did it if he's dead." Weevil seemed somewhat convinced by her rationalization.

"You've got till midnight. Then… I can't promise I won't be 'rash'," he mocked.

Veronica was disappointed by his time frame, "I might need more time than that."

Weevil began backing away, "You'd better give me something. I want proof."

_Ah, the burden of proof. It rests on my petite and tired shoulders. Logan's life may rest on my petite and tired shoulders. No pressure…_

Veronica watched Weevil walk away before turning and running to her car, hoping Logan hadn't thought she'd ditched him and already left. She made it outside and was relieved to see him casually leaned up against the driver's side door. She slowed her pace and smirked at him, putting on a southern belle accent, "You aren't waitin' on little ole me are ya?"

_What's your plan Veronica? You can't avoid the topic of his possible homicidal tendencies and blown alibi forever._

"Oh…" he looked surprised, "This is **your** car?" Logan tried to keep up the front of not intentionally waiting for her, but he cracked once she came within 10 feet. He smiled at her and pulled her up against him.

_Act normal Veronica… I need to save face until I figure out what I'm supposed to do._

"It is, in fact, my car. And I'd appreciate it if your 'perfect representation of the human specimen' self could cease in touching it. I just had it detailed," she said straight-faced. He smirked at her in response.

_You sure don't look like the murdering kind… I need to get him somewhere that's private enough that we won't be overheard, but public enough that I'd be safe were it to be a worst-case-scenario… in case the evidence against him is accurate._

"You know, I thought it looked a little less… dingy today," he joked standing up so and taking a step back so that he could take a look at it. "It just radiates brilliance in autimotive technology."

"Ha ha," Veronica said dryly, "It gets me from A to B. I can't complain. Much." Logan smiled before taking her face in his hands and kissing her.

He pulled back and sighed, "To be able to do that." Logan shook his head in somewhat disbelief.

_So much for this being like a walk in the park. Not that I was really delusional enough to think it would be, but that just sealed the deal… Wait a second… _

Veronica smiled, "How 'bout we go somewhere. You. Me. Start working on the whole normal thing."

"Sounds peachy keen," he agreed, raising his eyebrows before walking around to the other side of the car.

Veronica opened her door, "You know, I figure we should start trying to be normal as soon as possible. Because you're just… How can I break this to you gently? Odd."

Logan's hand flew to his heart, "You slay me with your words, Mars. They both laughed as they got in the car. "Where to?" he asked, "Hope it's close. Who knows how far this'll take us."

"Alright, alright… I've been keeping my fierce, jet black Hummer locked up in the garage, so I didn't make you and your sunshine yellow Xterra feel inferior, but if you keep making fun of the La Baron I'll be forced to take her out," Veronica threatened.

"How sweet of you, to think of my feelings," Logan said, sniffling, before chuckling, "That was a low blow. Insulting a man's car."

"I know, I know. I just didn't realize…" she trailed off, making a turn out of the parking lot.

Logan's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, "Realize what?"

"That you'd reached manhood," she finished, a smirk appearing on your lips.

He didn't miss a beat, "You just wait, you'll find out how much of a man I really am."

Veronica gasped slightly at the sexual innuendo. She swallowed and continued staring ahead at the road, ignoring how close he now was to her. Logan laughed at her nervousness before kissing her gently on the cheek, "Chill out, Mars."

Veronica looked at him and glared, but with little anger behind it, "I'm very 'chill.' Thank you."

"Right. So what destination do you have in mind?" Logan asked, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head.

"Well… I was thinking we could go sit on a bench in the sunshine, watch the children play and talk about life," she mused.

Logan stared at her for a moment before bursting out laughing, "Yeah, and I'm thinking of taking up knitting."

"How **manly **of you Logan," she jeered, "But seriously, how does a stroll on the beach sound?"

"It sounds fantastic. Especially if the beachy atmosphere lends to you desiring more than just a 'stroll,'" he wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

Veronica smiled, but inside she wanted to scream from the inner turmoil she felt, as she drove quickly to Dog Beach.

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**Feedback please! I love it, love it, love it, and can't live without it. Or at least, I can't write without it. : )**


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary: Set near the end of A Trip to the Dentist. This is how the scene with the ceiling fan should have went down… LoVe style.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars, lucky Mr. Rob Thomas does.**

**Author's Notes:Hello everyone. I am SO sorry that this took so long. It was pretty much out ofmy control. I had this chapter done over a week ago, but I was temporarily suspended from posting.I had written a story years ago, whichwent by the rules of those days, but violates some of the new ones. I'd taken such a long hiatus from writing that I totally forgot what was even in the story. So I appologizethat you, my loyal readers, were punished for that. : ) Alright now that that's over...Thanks so much to everyone for their super awesome reviews! Thanks especially to ddsw and SeluciaV, you guys are amazing and make me so so excited to keep writing. Here's the confrontation scene you've been waiting so long for... Enjoy!**

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"What a great day to be alive," Logan exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air after he shut his car door. 

_Let's hope you're right…_

Veronica shut her door as well and picked her purse up out of the car, since the top was down after Logan had insisted they fully enjoy the warm day. She walked slowly around the car watching as Logan spun around in circles in the sand. "You just get more and more juvenile by the day," she mused, stepping onto the beach.

He smirked at her while walking backwards towards the ocean, "What can I say? I'm a kid at heart."

_I'll take that over a murderer any day._

Veronica smiled at him, but she had to force it. Logan's smile faded slightly, and he stopped his backward momentum. He looked at her quizzically, seeing that there was something wrong. She had stopped walking and stood looking off into the distance.

Logan walked towards her slowly, cocking his head to the side, and trying to get her to look at him. He put a hand on her arm and squeezed gently, "Hey… What's going on in that head of yours?"

Veronica took in a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then let it out in a big sigh, "We need to talk."

"Sure… Anything in particular?" he asked, confused.

She turned and began twiddling her thumbs while she walked down the beach, "I'm going to ask you a question."

"Anything," Logan assured her, but she kept walking along in silence. "Come on, Ronnie. The suspense is killing me."

Veronica stopped in her tracks at his choice of metaphors, and turned to face him, "I need you to promise me that you'll tell me the truth, because it's very important that I have all the facts straight."

Logan's face showed even more confusion, and some sadness, "I can't say I know what you're talking about, but I swear I'll tell you the truth. Believe me when I say that."

She nodded, "I do. I want to trust you. That's why I came to you with this." After a look around to make sure that no one was within hearing distance, she continued, "When did you really come back from Tijuana the day that Lilly died?"

_I know I know, it's wrong to ask him a question I already know the answer to, but I need to know that he wouldn't lie to me._

Logan's emotions changed from confusion to shock instantly as his mouth fell open slightly. He stared at her for a moment before looking out over the ocean.

Veronica wasn't sure he was going to answer her when out of the silence, he spoke, "It was early in the morning. Sometime around 8 a.m. if I remember right. But my guess is you know better than I." He looked at her then, not angry but somewhat hurt, and saw that she was slightly ashamed, "I'm guessing Beaver told you."

She nodded her head, before asking a question she wasn't sure she wanted an answer to, "Did you see Lilly?"

Logan sighed at her implication, before starting to walk down the shore line once again, "I saw her." Veronica looked to him sharply, but he went on unaffected, "I saw her in the physical sense, just like I saw you that day, at the car wash."

"I never saw you," she said, in a way which wasn't accusing but simply perplexed.

"I parked across the street. I just watched her for a while. Somehow I could tell just by looking at her that it was over… that we really weren't going to get back together," he smiled ironically at a sympathetic Veronica. "So I stayed in my car and wrote her a note, explaining how I'd figured that out. I left it for her in her car."

Suddenly something clicked in Veronica's head, "With the shot glass."

"Yes, with the shot glass. I guess Beaver told you about that, too. He was thorough, wasn't he?" Logan asked sarcastically.

Veronica was deep in thought when his last comment brought her out of it, "Well, were you ever planning on telling me?"

"Is it wrong that I wanted to try and tell you at a time and in a way that wouldn't make you suspect me of murder?" he asked, "I wanted to allow the least amount of doubtful thoughts to enter your mind. Apparently my plan failed miserably." Logan looked at her a beat longer before walking away, leaving her somewhat stunned.

"Logan wait!" Veronica called, jogging after him a moment later. He stopped and turned to face her. "What did you expect me to do, Logan? Just go on with my investigation of Lilly's murder and pretend that I hadn't found out your alibi was blown? You know I couldn't do that." He didn't respond, but the anger in his face softened. "I didn't want to believe what the evidence was pointing to. I couldn't imagine that you…" she looked at the ground, unable to finish her sentence, "But you know me. I had to find out if Beaver was telling the truth. And then I had to find out if it meant anything."

"So what'd you find out?" Logan asked, somewhat meekly, not wanting to look in her eyes and see distrust or contempt there.

"Well I know that Beaver was telling the truth, because we know when your car crossed the border," she told him, silently letting him know that she had told her dad and that they'd been investigating him most of the day. She took a deep breath before saying the next, much harder, part, "And **I **know that you didn't kill Lilly, but unfortunately, in the grand scheme of things, that doesn't mean much."

Logan face had shown promise, but then he was quickly dejected. He looked up into her eyes, "It means a lot to me."

A small smile started on Veronica's lips before it faded, "I know it does. But for it to mean anything to anyone else, we're going to need proof that what you're saying is true."

Logan stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Well, how do we do that, Ms. Sherlock Holmes?"

"We find your note, for starters. Beyond that, I'm not sure," she shrugged. Logan nodded in understanding. "I need to get home, my dad's expecting me," she told him regretfully.

"Right… so what's the plan?" he asked her, hopefully.

"I'll check the evidence reports and see if they found your note. If they didn't, then I think I know a place she would've put it and the police wouldn't have found it," she said knowingly.

"The air vent," Logan filled in, making the connection.

"Exactly," she said. Veronica walked up to him then and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Let's go. I'll take you back to school."

The two of them drove in relative silence, aside from the sound of air rushing around them. Logan looked off into the distance, and Veronica stared intently ahead.

Veronica pulled into the parking lot of Neptune High and right up next to Logan's Xterra. He opened the door and hopped out just as she put the car in park.

"I'll call you when I know something," she assured him, and he started to turn and get in his car. "And Logan-"

He cut her off without turning around, "I know I know, don't skip town." Logan looked over his shoulder at her.

"Well, yeah that's probably a good idea, but that's not what I was going to say," she corrected.

"Is that so?" he asked, smirking in a combination of suspicion and joy, not sure if he believed her but hoping she was telling the truth.

"It is," she confirmed, "I wanted to say thank you."

Logan looked taken aback, "For what?"

"For a few things. Such as telling me the truth. And for putting up with that little doubtful voice inside me," she told him, and he slowly walked around the car to stand outside her door.

"Of course," he did a little mock bow, "I can do the right thing on occasion."

Veronica smirked at this, "If we could only get you to do the right thing **all** of the time, or even **most** of the time."

"What? And be perfect like you?" he shook his head, "My psychiatrist says it's best to set realistic goals for myself."

Veronica contemplated this for a moment, "Your psychiatrist is probably right."

Logan laughed, before becoming serious, remembering the reality of the situation, "I could be in quite a jam over this. I'm counting on you to help me out of this, Ronnie."

_You're counting on me for more than you know._

She nodded somberly, "I'll talk to you soon." Logan leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, "Kay." He then walked to his car without another word. As he pulled away, Veronica relaxed back into her seat.

_Well that was fun… Now for the hard part_.

Veronica left the school parking lot, headed for the office, trying desperately to figure out what she was going to tell her dad, and how she was going to find a way to prove Logan was innocent by midnight.

_The metaphorical clock is ticking Veronica…_ _And you've got nothing. You have approximately 9 hours to stop a revenge seeking PCHer and his buddies from killing your boyfriend. How ever will you do it? Good question._

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**Hope you liked it! If you did please send feedback, I can't get enough of it! Oh, and if you find something amiss, tell me about that too. I can take it. : ) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary: Set near the end of A Trip to the Dentist. This is how the scene with the ceiling fan should have went down… LoVe style.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars, lucky Mr. Rob Thomas does.**

**Author's Notes: Hey all! Thanks for such awesome reviews for the last chapter! Especially SeluciaV, horsecrazy, and ddsw, you guys really inspire me. Thank you. Here's the next one, not too terribly exciting, but neccessary. And I'll be off for Spring Break this coming week, so I should have time, and be relaxed enough, to write some juicy stuff. Enjoy!**

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Veronica walked up to the front door of their office and stood in front of it a moment. She didn't want to go in, because as much as she knew what she wanted to say, she also knew just how well that would go over with her dad. She reluctantly pulled open the door and strode inside, with as much confidence as she could muster. She immediately saw her dad sitting on the couch in the lobby looking intently at the table in front of him.

"You're not trying to burn a hole through a stack of paper using only the power of your stare again?" she asked, hoping her joke would cover up the unease she felt. He looked up, smiling slightly but not as much as he usually would have, and did not joke back which concerned her.

"Hey, sweetheart. Have a seat a minute; I have to talk to you," he said softly. Veronica sat, as he asked, though her mind was going a mile a minute trying to read him, and find out what he was going to tell her.

_Please don't let this have to do with Logan being in deeper than I already know. _

"I met with Celeste Kane today," he started.

Veronica smiled and visibly relaxed. She was still slightly confused, as she didn't know why he seemed so down about it, but his news didn't have to do with Logan. "She's paying you double and sponsoring our club membership?" she asked in a chipper, up beat voice.

Keith still didn't crack a smile, "Well, she actually agreed to pay up, but only if you sign this contract that says you'll never sue them again." Veronica let this set in, but didn't let her inner debate show on her face. "She wants you to waive any claim on the Kane fortune."

_I don't care if Jake Kane is my "father" or not, Keith Mars is the only father I've ever had, or ever will have. And that's more than alright with me. _

Veronica reaches over and picks up the pen without further thought or consideration and signs quickly before her father has a chance to say anything further. He stares at her, with some mixture of awe and puzzlement. She sees this and smiles, "What? Was I supposed to sign in blood or something?"

Keith is somewhat choked up by her nonchalance, "Do you know what you signed away?"

Veronica shakes her head slightly, denying his claim, "There's nothing that I will ever want from them."

Keith almost laughs, "That's right. Nothing. You didn't sign away a single thing." He has a huge smile on his face as he pulls out the paternity test he had done. "Veronica, I am without a doubt your father."

Veronica's complacent mood changed immediately as she broke out into a grin and half sobs as she reaches out and pulls her father into a tight hug. The two of them cry and laugh simultaneously in extreme joy at finally knowing the truth.

"Yeah, you are!" Veronica exclaims, hugging him even tighter, "I knew it was you." She let him go slightly so that they were looking at each other.

"You think that charm of yours is something you learned and developed over time?" Keith scoffs, before smirking, "That's genetics, baby!"

If possible, her smile widens as she kisses him on the cheek. Veronica lets out a huge sigh, before getting an idea, "How about we put a dent in that fi'ty grand we just landed and celebrate?"

Keith became serious at this, "Actually, honey, with the new information we have on Logan, not only is his alibi blown, but we can show thathe had motive to kill her. I think we finally have enough evidence to go to the authorities."

Veronica's smile drops immediately at this, "Right… about that…"

"What is it? Did you find something else?" he asked her, his tone becoming somewhat accusatory, obviously concerned that she had gotten in deeper than he'd wanted her to.

"Yeah, I came across some new information, but I need some time to verify it. Find out if the source was accurate," she said vaguely, hoping he would leave it at that and trust her.

"Is this something that would prove his innocence or his guilt?" Keith asked, still suspicious.

"Well, if the information turns out to be correct, then it would help to prove his innocence," she continued on still giving him the least amount of information as possible.

"And if the tip doesn't pan out?" Keith probed further.

"It wouldn't prove his guilt, it would just prove that he's a liar," she went on, feeling as though even this small statement was more than she wished to tell him.

Keith furrowed his eyebrows at her, dissatisfied, "Is there a reason you are doing everything in your power to completely dodge every question I ask?"

Veronica winced out of guilt at his accusation, "This is just something I need to find out on my own."

"You know that those things that you need to 'find out on your own' are my least favorite things, don't you?" he said with a sigh.

She knew that she had him, despite his reluctance, "I do. But I'll be careful. I'll even buckle my seatbelt, check the expiration date on the milk and look both ways before crossing the street." She held her hand with her palm facing towards her father, only her index and middle finger sticking up, "Scout's honor."

Keith laughed, "You definitely weren't a Girl Scout, but I guess that'll do."

She reached out and hugged him again, "Thanks, dad." Veronica then stood up, "Alright, I better get crackin'. Places to see, people to meet and all that jazz." She turned around and walked out of the office after a somewhat forced smiled and a wave from her dad.

When she got home she tiredly dropped her bag on the kitchen table. She sighed in frustration as this action caused a section of the newspaper to float down onto the floor. As she picked up the offending paper, something caught her eye.

"Kane Soiree Will Bring Many Famous Faces to Neptune" was the cover story.

_Isn't this convenient? My plan to dress in all black and sneak onto the Kane Estate hadn't been going very well, so this is a welcome change of events._

She read further, getting all of the details, such as the time of the event, noted guests, and the catering service that would be used. Taking this last piece of information she went to her room and began the now routine task of making herself look completely different from the Veronica Mars the Kane's knew. There was no way she would be getting into a party for the Governor at the Kane's looking like herself. She researched the catering service, and created an outfit that would help her blend in with them, as well as a dark brown haired wig and thick rimmed glasses. She studied herself in the mirror.

_So glad I have 20/20 vision. These just aren't flattering in the least. And the red wig was my first choice, but I think I would've stuck out, just a little. Here goes nothing…_

She gathered up her things, headed to find a note that would clear Logan's name, in her eyes and thus hopefully in her father's.

_Weevil, on the other hand, will be much harder to convince. _

Veronica glanced down at her watch.

_I have four short hours to get something Weevil will really buy into, or… Well, let's not think about that right now. Eye on the prize, Veronica. _

She quickly got in her car and began her short drive to the Kane's.

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I know, I know... No Logan/Veronica interaction. There will be multitudes of it in the upcoming chapters, promise. : ) Stay tuned, it's going to get exciting from here on out. Promise. I'll have the next chapter out ASAP. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary: Set near the end of A Trip to the Dentist. This is how the scene with the ceiling fan should have went down… LoVe style.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars, lucky Mr. Rob Thomas does.**

**Author's Note: Hey everybody! Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews. You're all amazing. Anyway, I hope that this chapter is long enough and juicy enough for you. : ) Oh and another thing... I just want to share with you all my absolute loathing of Logan's love life right now. I'd say more, but I don't want to give anything away for those who haven't seen the recent episodes. But it's not good, not good at all... :( So here, live in my fantasy world for a bit, where all is as it should be. Enjoy!

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Veronica sauntered up to the gate and put on her cheeriest, sorority girl persona for the guard. She flipped her hair and smiled sweetly at him.

"Name?" he asked succinctly, holding up a thick pile of papers, presumably listing all of the confirmed guests.

"Oh… I'm Christy Reynolds," she started to continue, but he held up his hand.

He kept it up, relatively close to her face, until he'd searched the list briefly for the name she gave him. "You're not on the list," he said without emotion, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave the premises."

"But sir, if you'll just let me explain," she pleaded, leaning towards him just slightly with the best pouting look she could muster.

He remained stoic for a moment before sighing, "Alright. Let's hear it."

She let out a little giggle, "Well, you see… I'm on staff with the caterer working the party, and I'm a little late. She said it would be okay. I had a meeting with my sorority, Alpha Phi. We're planning this totally awesome party for next weekend to help raise money for the local homeless shelter. And I just happen to be the Secretary, so I had to be there to record everything-"

He held up his hand to silence her once again, "That's more than enough information. Go ahead." The guard backed away from the her quickly, to avoid hearing anymore and pushed a button which opened up the gate.

Veronica waved her hand at him and yelled back, "Thanks!" as she jogged towards the entrance. She was quite relieved as she heard the clank of gate shutting behind her. The clicking of her heels on the pavement could just be heard over the music and commotion going on inside the house. The doors were left wide open, and she was glad to see the Celeste was not greeting her guests. Once inside she nonchalantly went to the kitchen and picked up a tray of hors d'ouevres and began slinking through the party guests. She'd nearly made it across the great room the party was being held in, on her way to Lilly's room when she spotted Jake and Celeste Kane.

_Just my luck…_

Veronica held the tray up so that it was even with her shoulder, and the empty wine glasses placed on it covered her face somewhat.

Celeste simply continued talking, and even placed her own empty glass on Veronica's tray, without skipping a beat or noticing that her young arch-nemesis was walking past. Once Veronica was out of hearing range she let out the breath she'd been holding. She was feet from the hallway that led to Lilly's room. Out of sheer paranoia, she turned around to make sure that Celeste wasn't following her ready to rip the wig off of her head and alert the local authorities. She turned back around with relief, just in time to feel her tray bump into the person in front of her. It fell and she immediately bent to try and pick it up quickly, without the incident being noticed by anyone.

"You just can't find good help these days," a voice from above her said. She ignored it for a second, before she recognized the distinctly sarcastic, witty sound. Veronica froze, unsure of whether she should let him know it was her or not.

Logan saw this and laughed, "Oh don't worry, I won't get you fired or anything. But I would suggest you clean this mess up before the lovely Mrs. Kane discovers it. I doubt she'll be as forgiving."

Veronica began to quickly shovel the items back onto the tray and sensed him beginning to walk away from her. Once she'd cleaned it up and was confident that Logan was gone, she stood and set the tray on a table. She took one final glance behind her before sneaking down the hallway. Within moments she was inside the room she'd spent so many sunny afternoons gossiping about nonsense, and had many a slumber party, doing mostly that same thing. It seems ridiculous looking back on it, but at the time it was her life. Most all of her happiest, most carefree times were spent in this room with Lilly, and that meant everything to her, no matter how silly it all was. She pulled out Lilly's desk chair and reached into her back pocket for the screwdriver she brought with her. Veronica stepped up onto the chair and began to unscrew the air vent when she felt arms encircle her waist and pull her down to the ground roughly. She lost her footing and landed on her butt.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" that same sarcastic voice asked her, "Haven't you caused enough damage for one evening."

Veronica looked up at him, simultaneously removing her glasses and wig. She shook out her hair, "It's me, Logan."

Logan was taken aback by this, and remained speechless for a moment. He then bent over, extending his hands to her, to help her off of the ground. "Sorry about that…" he started sympathetically, and then changed his tone slightly, "I thought you were going to call."

"I was going to call when I knew something," she interjected, somewhat defensively, "I don't know anything new, yet. Not until I see what's in that vent."

Logan nodded, and Veronica returned to the work she'd begun earlier. Once she pulled the vent open she saw a tiny, folded sheet of paper. She removed it slowly and carefully, before stepping down onto solid ground. Veronica stared at it a moment before looking up at him, silently asking him if she should open it. He nodded grimly, and watched her as the emotions flickered across her face. She silently began to open it when she remembered something. Her fingers stopped their actions immediately as she looked up at him, questioningly, "Where were you coming from when I ran into you earlier?"

Logan sighed and looked up at the ceiling in distress, "Of course. Really, I had to know it was coming." He looked back at her slightly ashamed, but still firm face, "No, I didn't plant the note before you got here. You did actually intercept me from getting to Lilly's room but I was going to **look** for the note, not plant it." Veronica lost her strong stance and hardened face as he went on, "You know, when you didn't call, I was a little worried you'd lost faith in me, thrown in the towel, or even turned me in. I didn't know. So when my dad suggested I come to this, saying how it would help "restore my reputation." Well I figured it would be a good chance to try and save myself, in case you weren't going to." He finished speaking in a quiet tone, looking at her, hoping he'd find that his fears were unfounded.

Veronica swallowed, "I'm sorry you felt that way Logan. I've been doing everything I possibly can to save you today. It's all I can think about. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't manage to find a way to prove that you're innocent… If I knew that I'd failed you." She shook her head, strangely feeling as if she could cry out of frustration at that thought. The clock was ticking and she still didn't know if even the note they'd found would be enough for Weevil. She looked up into his eyes.

_I'm not going to fail. I won't. I can't. _

The corner of Logan's mouth turned up in a half-smile, "There's no way you could fail me. Not if you stick by me. That's all I want, all I've ever wanted, from you. For you to be on my side, fighting for me, not against me. Everything else…" he threw his hands in the air and let them fall at his sides, "It just comes naturally from you being you. Your trust and loyalty are the only things that I've ever lacked."

She watched him take in a deep breath before speaking, "I hope you stick around for the day when I can give you those things unconditionally. I'm trying, little by little, to get past-"

"I know you are," he interrupted, taking a step towards her, bridging the gap. "And don't worry that pretty little head of yours about whether I'll wait around for you. As long as you'll have me, this is the only place I want to be." He looked deep into her eyes before taking the sides of her face and kissing her. The kiss was one of passion, stemming from the high drama that was currently overtaking their lives. Veronica started to move her hands behind his neck, to further the kiss. As she did this, however, the note slipped from her fingers and she noticed the lack of paper between them.

Veronica broke the kiss, reluctantly, knowing that time was of the essence and that she needed to read that note. She had a lot of work to do if the note had nothing convincing in it, and she only had a few hours to complete that work. "Logan… the note," she whispered against his mouth. He understood and bent to pick up the discarded piece of paper and handed it to her.

There was no trepidation in her this time as she began unfolding it. She took a deep breath just before pulling apart the last fold, revealing to her Logan's scribbled words, and dried teardrops.

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_Lilly,_

_It seems so ridiculous to be writing you a letter. We've been together for years, and I'm sure I've never written you one before. Now that we're apart, I find it's the only way I can really explain how I feel. At least without you interrupting or brushing me off. So here goes nothing…_

_I came back early from Mexico to see you. I can't explain why, other than to say that I just had this feeling that I needed to. I drove and drove, not thinking about much of anything, other than you. I tried to think of what I was going to say to you, but I still didn't know if I wanted you to take me back, or if I never wanted to speak you again. Then I saw you, and everything just clicked. You looked different. There was something in your eyes and your smile that just spelled it out for me. Even though you didn't see me, I knew that we were through, over with. We weren't going to give it another shot. At that revelation, a strange combination of relief and sadness overcame me. On the one hand, all of the torture you put me through while we were together is over forever. I never have to wonder if you're talking, flirting, or kissing a guy who isn't me. That pain is over. But now I have a new pain. The pain of knowing that you never loved me nearly as much as I still love you. _

_So I leave you with these paring words and my final gift to you. I'm sure you'll like it, and get a lot of use out of it. I hope that years from now when you've completely forgotten about me, and long since thrown this note away, that you'll maybe still have it. Enjoy it, and enjoy your life. I want you to be happy, and I'm sorry you couldn't be happy with me. Maybe someday I'll stop loving you so much and be able to be your friend. Until then…_

_Logan

* * *

_

Veronica reached up to wipe the single tear from her eye, but she was too slow. Logan's finger was already there. She smiled at him, sorrowfully, "I'm sorry…"

"For what?" he asked wistfully, cupping the side of her face.

"I don't know…" she took a deep breath, "For everything."

He shrugged, "You make me forget about everything. None of it matters now that I have you."

Veronica wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him sweetly. She pulled back from it sooner than she would've liked, "There's still quite a bit I need to do, even now that I have this. And we should get out of here before we get caught."

Logan nodded and Veronica hopped back up on the chair and started to replace the vent when she noticed something. Her eyebrows scrunched up, "That's funny…" She reached into the vent after seeing that it apparently went nowhere. After pushing gently on the back wall it slid down, falling with a little clink of metal on metal.

"What was that?" Logan asked, coming up behind her. Veronica reached into the vent a little further before coming back with three tiny tapes. She held them out to him, in confusion.

"What do you think these could be?" Veronica asked as Logan took them out of her hands.

"I don't know," he answered, looking them over. "Oh my God," he said quietly, staring at one tape in particular.

"What is it?" she asked anxiously.

"This one," he held the tape up, "It's dated on the day that Lilly died."

Veronica's gaze stayed on the tape for a second, in awe, before looking up at Logan, "We need to find somewhere to play these."

"I bet Duncan's got a video camera that would work," Logan mused dejectedly, wishing they were on better terms.

"Alright, here's the plan. You stay here and put the air vent back on. I'll don my caterer disguise again and go find him," she explained. Logan's face immediately fell and he started to protest, remembering the events of earlier in the day. "Don't worry. I'll take care of myself. He's probably calmed down from earlier. Plus, he's much more likely to talk to me than to you. So just do as I say."

Logan mock-saluted her, "Yes, ma'am."

Veronica glared at him briefly as she replaced her wig and glasses, "I'll be right back." She turned and started to walk out, but Logan reached out and took her wrist, pulling her back to him. He brushed a big strand of black hair away from her face and kissed her.

"You can go now," he said, moving back away from her and up onto the chair. Veronica looked at him with her mouth opened slightly. He simply went to work at replacing the air vent cover, "Are you going to go or just stand there staring at my ass?" Logan deadpanned.

Veronica laughed, "I wish that were possible, but I can hardly get past your huge ego enough to even tell you have one." Logan turned around to fight back, but she was already gone. He smiled before turning back to his work.

Veronica walked quickly down the hallway, picking up her tray along the way. She went stealthily around the outer edges of the room, scanning it for Duncan. After a few minutes, she spotted him talking to an older couple she didn't recognize. She took this as a good opportunity and wove her way through the crowd.

"Can I offer you an hors d'oeuvre?" Veronica asked the couple, sweetly.

"Oh no, thank you," the woman responded, holding her hand up gently.

Veronica nodded, before looking hard at Duncan. She caught his eye and he squinted his eyes at her briefly before they widened in realization. He glared at her, but she looked pleadingly at him. His face softened as she wiggled her eyebrows at him and then turned and walked back towards the hallway she came from. After depositing her tray on the same table and walking safety around the corner where she couldn't be seen, she stopped and waited. She heard footsteps coming, and stepped back into a doorway, hoping that it was Duncan, but taking that precaution just in case it wasn't.

"What do you want, Veronica?" Duncan asked her with little patience.

"I need your help," she said seriously, knowing he wouldn't take that answer very well.

He laughed ironically, "You've got some nerve."

"You know I wouldn't ask if it weren't important," she sighed.

Duncan took a deep breath, looking up at the ceiling before looking hard at her, "What is it?"

"Well, I don't know exactly what it is yet, but it might have something to do with Lilly's murder," Veronica explained.

He swallowed, "You've got my attention."

"This way," she started to lead him down the hallway.

_This is where things start heating up. I only hope that Logan and Duncan can control their emotions until after we find out what's on those tapes. _

Veronica stopped briefly as she put her hand on the door handle, needing to prepare herself before putting Logan and Duncan in the same room together.

_These tapes could end up saving Logan's life in more ways than one, and solve Lilly's murder all in one. This is a big moment. After all this searching, the answers could be on the other side of this door. _

She turned the handle and walked inside, Duncan close on her heels.

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**I hope you loved it. Please send me some feedback! You know I live for it!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary: Set near the end of A Trip to the Dentist. This is how the scene with the ceiling fan should have went down… LoVe style.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars, lucky Mr. Rob Thomas does.**

**Author's Note: Hey all! I'm sure you hate me with a fiery passion at this point for taking so terribly long! I appologize profusely, and hope that you'll fogive me. Between the end of my freshman year in college and not being sure how I wanted this part of the story to go, it took me forever. But as a reward, I'm giving you TWO CHAPTERS! Yay! Aren't you excited? Now read on, you've been waiting long enough.

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**

Veronica walked into the room quickly, moving to stand between the two of them. Logan was sitting on Lilly's bed and looked up at their entrance, but didn't move from his position.

Duncan saw Logan and a glare formed on his face, "What a pleasant surprise."

Logan rolled his eyes, "Look Duncan… I'm not exactly singing "if I knew you were coming, I'd have baked a cake" but… what's on these tapes is just a tad more important than what's going on between you and me."

Duncan didn't say anything in response, but his stance relaxed and he changed his focus to Veronica, "What's this all about?"

Veronica walked over to Logan and took the tapes out of his hands. "We found these in Lily's air vent. One of them is dated the day that she died," she gave him the information straight, getting to the point immediately in order to shorten the time the three of them had to spend together.

Duncan's face softened more at the mention of Lily, and his eyes were transfixed on the tapes as he took in the implications of what Veronica had just said.

When he remained silent, Veronica continued, "We were hoping you might have a video camera that we could play the tapes in."

Duncan nodded almost immediately, "Yeah, we can go hook it up to the T.V. in my room." He motioned with his head for them to follow and went back out into the hall.

At Duncan's departure Logan let out a held breath. Veronica walked over to him, took his hands and pulled him up to a standing position. She pinched his cheek teasingly, "I'm so proud of you." She said it in the most patronizing way she could muster.

Logan rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I do what I can. And get your hand off my face. You smell like cheese."

"Wow, Logan you really know how to make a girl feel special," she deadpanned, wiping her hand on her apron. "And so you know, the cheese smell is a part of any good caterer disguise."

"In other words, you were snacking on the hors d'ouevres you were supposed to be serving," he corrected, starting towards the door.

"Maybe so," she said following him, "But I figure, I'm pretty much a volunteer caterer, so the least they could do is pay me in cheese cubes."

Logan chuckled as they walked down the hall, "I like your logic, Mars." He slung his arm over her shoulder as they entered Duncan's room. Duncan had just finished setting up the video camera with the T.V.

Veronica walked over to him, "These two are dated within a few weeks of Lily's death, and this one is from the day she died." She handed them to him respectively.

"Should we watch the others, or just get straight to the important one?" Duncan asked staring at the tapes resting in his hands.

"Considering we have no idea what's on them, they all might be important. I think we should just watch them in order," Veronica reasoned.

Duncan nodded, swallowing as he carefully checked the date written on each tape before selecting the earliest one. The room was completely silent as he slipped the tape into the video camera and pushed play. The three stood in front of the television in anxious anticipation of what would appear before their eyes. The blue screen went fuzzy for a split second, proceeded by the tape beginning to play.

Veronica squinted at the screen not comprehending what she was seeing at first.

"Oh my God," she heard Logan say before violently turning away from the screen.

Veronica's eyes widened as she realized what Logan just had, that the tape had been recorded by the cameras placed in his pool house.

_Why would Lily have these tapes?_

Duncan got a disgusted look on his face when he saw Aaron Echolls' face on the screen and realized just what Aaron was doing. He quickly pushed the stop button and removed the tape. "What now?" he asked Veronica. Logan had moved to lean against the door frame facing away from the both of them.

Her eyebrows were wrinkled in confusion, "Put the last tape in. The one from the day she died." While Duncan switched the tape, Veronica spared a glance at Logan's still form. She took a couple steps toward him and put her hand on his shoulder.

He spoke to her without turning around. "I'm really scared of what's going to be on that tape Veronica."

"I know," she responded, not knowing what else to say. He turned to face her, and the two went to stand by Duncan, who had just pushed play. When the tape began playing, Aaron's face showed up again. Logan forced himself to watch, needing to know what significance this had.

Veronica felt like throwing up as she watched the tape of Logan's dad having sex with some as of yet unknown girl. Just as she thought she couldn't take it anymore the couple rolled over allowing the girl to be seen.

Veronica's hand flew to her mouth as she gasped. Everything suddenly made sense in the worst imaginable way as she saw Lily and her long blonde hair smiling on the screen.

She was brought back to reality as she saw Logan falling to his knees beside her. Her hand automatically reached out to turn off the television. She turned quickly and knelt in front of him. He had his head down, looking at his hands which fell limply in his lap. Veronica grasped those hands in hers, not having any idea what must be going through his head. He slowly lifted his eyes to meet her gaze and her heart broke.

Tears were streaming down his cheeks silently, "How could she? How could _he_?"

Veronica shook her head slowly, choking back her own tears, "I don't know." She couldn't stand looking into his eyes any longer and gently pulled him towards her. He rested his head on her shoulder and grasped at her shirt with his hands, holding on for dear life.

Duncan, who had remained silent throughout, finally spoke, "What do these tapes mean?"

Veronica remained in relatively the same position, but turned her head to face him. She spoke hesitantly, "I think… I think it means that Aaron killed Lily."

Logan stiffened in her arms before pulling away. "Don't get the impression that I'm trying to defend him in anyway, but do you care sharing how you came to that extreme conclusion?" He wiped his tears away angrily, standing and backing away from her slightly.

Veronica took a deep breath, having been afraid that she would get this reaction from him. "Lily was wearing her cheerleading outfit in the video, which leads me to believe she was there after the carwash we put on that afternoon. The carwash was the last place anyone saw her, and she was killed only hours after she left. I think that Aaron was the big secret she told me she had, and that the day she died was the day she found out Aaron's secret. That he was taping them when they slept together." Veronica stopped and made eye contact with Logan, "She found the tapes just like I did, and she took them. Aaron came back, found her gone with the tapes, and realized what someone, especially Lily, could do with something like that. She came back here, hid the tapes, and got a visit from an enraged Aaron. She wouldn't give him the tapes… so he killed her."

Both of the guys took a moment to let all of that information sink in. Duncan spoke first, "That's… crazy." Veronica's head flipped to him. "But it makes perfect sense," he continued.

She looked back to Logan, who was still silent.

_Please believe me. I know it's farfetched, but I also know it's what happened. Something in me just knows it._

As if he heard her thoughts, he raised his defeated eyes to meet hers. "What are we going to do about it?" he asked, his face taking on a look of disgust and fury.

Veronica was somewhat shocked at his sudden change in demeanor, but knew that he would go through a hundred different emotions in just the next few hours. "We need to get the tapes to the police," she said simply, switching from concerned girlfriend to detective.

"What about Aaron?" Duncan asked, while he watched Veronica collect the tapes.

"What about him?" she asked, slipping the tapes into her purse.

"He's here," he replied, simply.

"Oh… Right," she thought a second, "Well, you two just keep an eye on him while I get the tapes safely to the police station. He shouldn't be a problem. I'll call once I convince the good sheriff to come arrest him… which hopefully won't take more than an hour."

"One of us should come with you," Duncan said, amending her plan.

Veronica shook her head as she walked towards the door, "You've both been suspects in her murder. Either of you coming in with me, especially since Abel Koontz was set free, would seem a little suspicious if you ask me."

"Yeah, maybe… but-" Logan started, but Veronica silenced him with her finger.

"Just stay here with Duncan. I'll call soon. You can come stay with me tonight if you don't want to go home," she said moving her hand to brush his face.

"Yeah, sure," he replied softly, looking at his feet a long time before meeting her gaze.

"It's gonna be okay. We'll figure this out, and we'll have time to talk more later," she promised. Her hand moved down his arm to grasp his hand in hers and squeezed it reassuringly.

He nodded and then stared deep into her eyes, saying something that he felt needed to be said, "I trust you, Veronica."

_He must, since I just accused his dad, who we already know to have slept with his girlfriend, of killing her as well. _

Veronica smiled at him, "I'll call you in a few." She took his head in her hands and kissed his forehead, before turning and walking quickly down the hallway. "Don't let him, or Aaron, out of your sight," she whispered to Duncan as she passed him. The two watched her walk away before coming to stare at each other, both unsure of what to do or say.

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Hope you liked it! The next chapter's waiting... Please review when you finish it!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary: Set near the end of A Trip to the Dentist. This is how the scene with the ceiling fan should have went down… LoVe style.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars, lucky Mr. Rob Thomas does.**

**Author's Note:Yay, another chapter already! Considering some of the disappointments us LoVe fans have endured lately, you deserve it.

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**

Veronica quickly readjusted her wig and glasses, to insure she would exit the building with her identity still hidden. She pulled her cell phone out as she briskly walked through the room with her head down. She hit the speed dial for her dad, and was relieved when he answered quickly.

"Hello?" he said.

"Dad, it's me. I know who killed Lily," she said as softly as possible, while walking close to the wall in order to be near the fewest amount of people.

"Who, who. Honey, what happened? What do you know?" he asked, hurriedly.

"I can't talk right now, but it wasn't Logan… it was his dad," she revealed. Before he could say anything she continued, "I'm on my way to the police station. I'll call you when I get there and tell you more."

"Veronica!" he tried to keep her on the line, but she hung up as she walked into a crowd of people on her way to the kitchen. The door was in sight when out of nowhere someone bumped into her and sent her purse flying to the floor.

Veronica mumbled a profanity under her breath as she saw the tapes tumble out onto the ground. She knelt down quickly to grab them.

"Here, let me help you with that," a voice from above her said.

Veronica's heart froze, followed by the rest of her body once she realized the owner of that voice. She couldn't move, couldn't speak, as she watched him come into her view and reach for the tapes. She saw him hesitate, his hand a few centimeters above them. His head cocked slightly and he set the drink he held in his hand on the floor before picking up one of the tapes and turning it over. Once he saw the date written on it, in his handwriting, his head snapped up to look into her eyes. What she saw in those eyes terrified her to the depths of her soul.

"Veronica Mars… it's too bad. I was starting to like you," with that his hand shot out and grabbed her arm. Veronica held back a gasp as his fingers dug into her. He took a quick glance around him to see if anyone was watching them. Veronica took that opportunity to push the speed dial for Logan on the phone she still had in her hand while slipping it into the pocket of the apron she was wearing as part of her waitress outfit.

Aaron's face flew back to meet hers, "I think you're going to have to go for a ride with me young lady." He pushed the fallen contents of her purse back inside it and then pulled her to a standing position.

* * *

Logan and Duncan had finally broken their awkward staring contest and were about to walk back to the party when Logan heard the special ring he'd set for Veronica begin to play. His eyebrows wrinkled in confusion, not expecting her to call so soon. He flipped his phone open, "What's up?" After getting no response, he stared at his phone.

Duncan had come to stand beside him, "What's going on?"

"Not sure. It's Veronica, but I can't hear anything." Logan's mind raced back to their first kiss, and how that came to happen. He remembered how he'd heard where the undercover cop was taking her, how she'd left her phone on so that he could. He brought the phone back to his ear and held up his finger to keep Duncan quiet, and listened.

* * *

The second he got her standing, they were moving through the kitchen and out the back door.

"I think you ought to drive," he smirked, pushing her ahead of him. She heard him grab her keys out of her purse before shoving them into her hand. "Lead the way."

* * *

"Oh God," Logan whispered. His frightened eyes looked to Duncan, who was eagerly waiting to be filled in, "He's got her."

Duncan got even more confused, "Who?"

"My dad," he answered, swallowing hard. His demeanor changed as he began to walk fast and instruct Duncan at the same time, "I need you to call the police on your way to Veronica's where you can fill her dad in on what's going on. Then call me, and hopefully by then I'll know where he's taking her." After he finished he ran off, leaving Duncan no chance to respond.

"Alright then," he said under his breath, not really liking being bossed around, especially by Logan, but knowing that he needed to do as he'd said.

Logan held the phone to his ear, not really paying attention to what he was doing. He felt a hand grab his shoulder, "Hey Logan, what's the hurry?" It was Jake Kane.

He froze and stared at him a moment, with the phone glued to his ear. He heard a car engine start, and knew he was running out of time. "Uh… I need to go help Veronica. She's clueless when it comes to cars. She got a flat, so she's in some serious trouble. Gotta go." Logan tapped his watch and with that ran out of the house. He left a very baffled Jake Kane staring after him.

* * *

Veronica was being instructed by Aaron, who was hiding in the backseat and brandishing a knife he'd stolen from the kitchen, on where to drive. His directions weren't giving her any clues as to their destination.

"Where are we going?" she asked meekly. Her eyes looked downward as she caught a glint of the knife near her throat.

"Oh… someplace special. It where I take all my favorite girls," he mused, removing the tapes from her purse and then throwing it into the passenger seat.

Veronica wasn't sure how much he would take from her, but she figured he at least wouldn't seriously injure her while she was driving, and decided to push his buttons a little. "So, how does it happen that all your favorite girls also happen to be Logan's girlfriends?" she asked snidely.

Aaron laughed, but the sound cut off abruptly as he gently pressed the blade against her upper arm. She winced, and tried to lean away from the pressure of the metal against her flesh.

"Funny you should ask. I guess Logan just isn't man enough… even for a girl his age," Aaron replied.

"Hard to believe _your _son wouldn't turn into a lady killer like you…" she paused a moment, "You know, I think you took that term a little too literally."

He stopped pushing with the knife and drew it back, raking it across her skin. Veronica gasped and jerked her arm away, feeling the warmth of blood running from the open wound.

"Considering that fact, I'd be more careful if I were you," he warned. "I killed your best friend. What makes you think I'm not willing to do the same to you?"

* * *

Logan could only hear bits and pieces of what they were saying, and not enough to have any idea where they were going. He was driving relatively aimlessly, in hopes that he'd get lucky.

* * *

_If Logan's even listening, I know I haven't been able to give him enough to find me… _

Veronica smiled as they came upon the Coronado Bridge.

_Perfect._

"So… can I be led to believe that this is our destination. I know it was the spot where you drove one of your favorite women. And I mean drove figuratively speaking, seeing as your cheating ways drove your wife to commit suicide here," she remarked, somewhat loudly, praying that Logan could hear her and would get the hint.

"You just keep on pushing the limits, don't you Veronica?" he asked, teasing her by twirling the knife around her body. He brought it close to her skin, but never enough to cut her. "No, I don't plan to throw you off the bridge and make it look like a suicide… that's too easy. Besides, considering you planned to ruin me, I want you to really suffer."

* * *

Logan was surprised when he heard Veronica's voice get suddenly louder. He slowed the car in order to hear better. Once she was finished he spoke in realization, "The Coronado Bridge." He made a very illegal u-turn and drove as fast as he could towards the bridge. He was only minutes from it, and hoped he'd be able to catch up with them.

* * *

Weevil looked at his watch, grinning as it hit midnight. "Alright, boys. Let's roll out." The PCHers set out in a pack, with one mission: find Logan Echolls and kill him.

* * *

Veronica almost smacked herself in the forehead when she glanced at the clock.

_It's midnight, and that means that while Logan's looking for me, he's going to have PCHers looking for him. I seriously need a plan. Especially if Logan gets sidetracked by Weevil… and I seriously need to call Weevil so he doesn't kill Logan. But first I need to find a way to stop sharing space with a murderer._

They'd gone over the bridge and he'd instructed her to turn down a side road. The road was lined with trees on both sides, which gave her an idea. She checked to see that her seatbelt was fastened, and took a glance in her rearview mirror to see that Aaron's wasn't. With that, she sent up a little prayer and swerved off the road.

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Yeah... so I left some things up in the air. But I promise that I'll write like a fiend and get you some more chapters up soon. I love you, loyal readers, please be loyal feedback writers as well: )


	10. Chapter 10

Summary: Set near the end of A Trip to the Dentist. This is how the scene with the ceiling fan should have went down… LoVe style. And then the rest of the season based on that change.

Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars or any of the characters, unfortuately. Rob Thomas does. : (

Author's Note: Hey everybody! Thanks to everyone who wasn't so upset with me for the time it took to post the last two chapter and wrote me a nice review. You guys are the best. Here's your new chapter...

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Logan was driving somewhat recklessly to try and catch up with Veronica. He wasn't paying too much attention to the phone, as it had been silent for a while since he got the tip on the bridge. He nearly drove off the road however when he heard an incredibly loud crashing sound come from it. Logan's jaw dropped, unable to shake the idea that the car crashing he'd heard was Veronica's. He waited, trying desperately not to crash himself, praying that he would hear Veronica make some witty comment about Aaron being lucky he had kidnapped her instead of that horrible driver they'd just seen fail to maneuver around a phone pole. Her voice never came, though, and he felt his heart breaking.

Before he realized what was happening he heard a loud car horn blaring. He looked up through his windshield to see a semi truck headed straight for him, only a few yards away. He quickly turned the wheel to the right, trying to get back on his side of the road. He managed to do so unscathed, but was shaken by both his recent near death experience and the fear that Veronica had just had one herself. Or worse.

He slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road to try and calm himself down. He needed to find Veronica. His only comfort was that if she were still alive, at least she would be easier to find immobile. He rested his head on the steering wheel, and he took a deep breath. His hand moved to put the car back into drive and go on a devastating search for the only person he had left in this world and the man who had taken everyone else away from him. Looking in front of him, however, he noticed that he was going to have some difficulties in going anywhere. Three motorcycles were parked in front of him, and after a look in his rearview mirror saw another two bikes behind him. It would be impossible to escape without running one of them over. He recognized Weevil giving a few orders before parking his bike and walking over to Logan's window.

"I must have tempted fate when I thought just now that this day couldn't possibly get any worse. Because here you are," Logan said while rolling down his window, "Proving me wrong."

Weevil didn't respond, simply got an enraged look on his face before sending his fist through the open window and into Logan's face. Logan's head flew back against his seat and his hand reached for his eye which was throbbing.

"What the hell, Weevil!" Logan screamed, knowing he had absolutely no time to get into a fight with Weevil, let alone five PCHers.

"Why don't you get out the car, and we'll talk about it?" he said taking a step back to allow Logan to do just that.

Logan tried desperately to calm himself, needing to express the urgency of the matter to Weevil. "Look… I don't know what you need to 'discuss' with me, but could we reschedule? Because that little blonde private eye we all know and love just ran herself up a tree in her crappy old Le Baron."

Weevil's eyes squinted at Logan, "Well, you'd better start praying, because with what I have planned, you're going to be a little too preoccupied to go rescue her."

* * *

Duncan ran quickly to his car. He'd just called the police and told them everything he knew, which unfortunately wasn't a whole lot. They said that they would have officers on the look out for Veronica's car, but that other than that there wasn't much they could do. So Duncan was driving to get Keith in hopes that he'd have a plan.

He dialed Veronica's number, knowing it by heart, as he started the engine and pulled out of the driveway.

"Hello?" an expectant Keith answered the phone, obviously hoping it would be his daughter.

"Mr. Mars? It's Duncan," he said, somewhat frantic.

"Hey Duncan, what's up?" Keith asked, disappointed, but intrigued as well.

"I have some really bad news. I'm on my way to your house right now," he informed.

Keith swallowed, "What do you know, Duncan?"

"It's Veronica… I don't know if she told you, but we found out that it was Aaron Echolls who killed Lilly…" Duncan started, not wanting to tell him something he already knew.

"Yeah," he said, hurrying the boy along.

"Well, on her way out of the party, Aaron somehow found out what she was up to… because he kidnapped her," he forced out, not liking to be the one to have to tell him.

Keith stopped breathing, taking in this information.

"I've called the police and told them all of this, but I don't think they're going to much help. I think he took her in Veronica's car, because his was still there when I left. Logan's out trying to find them right now. Is there anything we can do?" Duncan asked, distraught.

Keith regained his focus, "Yes… yes, there is. Did you say you're on your way?"

"I'm here," he said, putting the car into park.

"Let me grab a few things, and I'll be down. We're going to find her," Keith assured Duncan and himself.

* * *

Logan was laying on the pavement of the Coronado bridge. He wasn't fairing too well, but was still clutching his phone.

"You killed Lilly!" Weevil screamed as he kicked Logan in the stomach.

Logan rolled over and spit some blood out of his mouth, "How many times do I have to tell you I didn't do it? It was my dad. You've got the wrong Echolls. The one who did kill Lilly is currently trying to kill Veronica." Weevil and his cohorts stopped beating him up for a moment, listening to him. "How would you like that on your conscience? Knowing that you not only helped Lilly's killer get away, but helped him kill Veronica, too?" Logan said, trying to reason with them.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Weevil asked, somewhat calmed.

Logan's brain was searching for something, anything that would prove his innocence and his truthfulness, when the answer came in a, "Oh God," emanating from his phone. His eyes widened as he pressed the phone to his ear, nearly crying out in relief at hearing Veronica's tiny voice.

"This is how you know I'm telling the truth," he said, pointing at the phone he couldn't bare to remove from his hearing distance.

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Okay everyone, you know what to do! Push that little button and send me a review! The next chapter will be out very quickly if you do! I promise... like within days. I love how I'm bribing you to write me reviews. : ) Anyway, hope you liked it!


	11. Chapter 11

Summary: Set near the end of A Trip to the Dentist. This is how the scene with the ceiling fan should have went down… LoVe style. And then the rest of the season based on that change.

Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars or any of the characters, unfortuately. Rob Thomas does. : (

Author's Note: You guys all rock! Thanks to every single one of you who took the time to write me a review. I'd thank you individually but I thought you'd rather I spend my time getting this chapter ready for you. Enjoy!

* * *

Veronica woke up to the sound of the pounding inside her head. Her first instinct was to take everything very slowly, as pain emitted through her entire body. Her second instinct, upon opening her eyes and seeing Aaron's body crumpled next to her from being thrown out of the backseat, was to move as fast as possible.

"Oh God," she said, quickly reaching to undo her seatbelt. She was about to abandon the car, when she looked and saw the tapes gently resting in Aaron's coat pocket. She whimpered softly as she reached a shaky hand towards him. Once her hand touched the fabric of his pocket, she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out in fear. She did everything in her power to not touch anything but the tapes. The task of removing them was brutal. She reached the third tape without a sound or movement out of Aaron. As her hand closed over that third tape, however, she heard him groan and could no longer contain the small squeak of terror. Her hand jerked back with the tape, and shebegan to put as much distance between her and Aaron as possible.

* * *

"Alright, let's hear it," Weevil said. 

Logan had been sorrowfully listening to the small sounds she was making, and he could tell she was acting out of fear alone and not remembering her phone. "Veronica!" he yelled into the phone. "Veronica? Can you hear me?"

Veronica stopped dead in her tracks. She'd been hobbling towards the nearest house she saw, as no cars whatsoever were driving down the street. She let out a sob of relief as she heard Logan's voice coming from her phone. Fumbling slightly, she grabbed for the phone and jerked it to her ear. "Logan?" she asked, hopeful and frantic, "Oh God, Logan please help me."

A tear fell from Logan's eye at the panic he heard, "It's gonna be okay, baby. I'm on my way to get you right now."

He heard Veronica emita half laugh, half sob at this news, "I'm on Sycamore Lane. It's just after you get off the bridge. Please hurry. He's unconscious, but… I don't know for how long."

Logan smiled, "I'm coming, don't worry." He looked up and saw Weevil raise an eyebrow, "Baby, I need you to tell Weevil that it wasn't me who killed Lilly… He's got it in his head that I did it."

"Oh no, Logan I'm so sorry. He overheard me talking to my dad about your alibi. I was going to call him and tell him everything, but Aaron got to me before I could," she rambled guiltily.

"Shhh… It's okay," Logan soothed as he handed Weevil the phone.

"Hey V, what's up?" Weevil asked. He nodded occasionally, and then got a remorseful look on his face, "I'm sorry. Yeah, he's on his way." Weevil motioned for Logan to get up. Logan got up and rushed to his car, grabbing the phone out of Weevil's extended hand as he did so. Logan threw the shifter into drive and pulled out before Weevil got the chance to say anything else.

Veronica sighed as Weevil said he was letting Logan go. As the relief started to seep through her body, she heard something behind her and turned around. She didn't see anything, but her eyes quickly scanned her car. The relief disappeared, and was replaced by a feeling of dread as she saw that the passenger side door was now open.

"Veronica? It's Logan again," Veronica heard him say. She wasn't paying much attention, though asshesaw a few branches move out of the corner of her eye. Aaron's form suddenly appeared, his arms reaching for her. Veronica screamed and began to run.

Logan could hardly believe what he was hearing when Veronica's scream pierced his ear. He immediately pressed his foot to the floor, taking the turn onto Sycamore Lane. As he drove he heard her scream a few more times, and then the line went silent. His terrified eyes panned the road for her, but he saw nothing. He'd only driven a block or so when he came to a screeching halt. To his left, his eyes were glued on the image of Veronica's car wrapped around a tree. He slammed the car into park and practically jumped out of the car. Based on how long he'd been talking to her, he knew she had to be close by. He listened closely to his phone, but still couldn't hear anything.

* * *

Duncan was instructed by Keith to start driving towards the Coronado Bridge once he'd set up his GPS tracking system. 

"So how long have you had a tracking device on Veronica's car?" Duncan asked, not accusingly, but curious.

"It's not on her car, it's on her phone. And I had the device implanted in it before I gave it to her for Christmas. Once she started getting so involved in my cases, and cases of her own, I figured it would be a good thing to do," he answered, and Duncan could sense how glad he was that he had done so.

Keith had been incredibly worried when he turned on the system and found that Veronica was completely immobile. That was when he had instructed Duncan to get to the Coronado Bridge as quickly as possible. He'd been relieved to see some movement out of her just recently.

"What's going on?" Duncan asked, trying to peak at the GPS screen while he was pausing at a stop sign.

"I can't tell, but from her movements, it doesn't seem like she's in her car anymore," Keith responded, somewhat confused, his mind going a mile a minute.

"Well, that's good right? We'll be able to catch up to them easier if they're on foot," Duncan said, trying to remain positive. Then he remembered Logan's last request and smacked his palm against his forehead before reaching into his pocket for his cell phone. Keith had stopped to stare at him briefly, and Duncan explained, "I forgot to call Logan." Duncan was just approaching the bridge when he dialed.

* * *

Logan's heart sank further and further as he ran up and down the street trying to figure out where they'd gone. "Veronica!" he screamed over and over again. He ran back to his car, looking for a flashlight or something he could use as a weapon in preparation for going to search for her in the woods, deeming that it was the most likely place Aaron would have taken her. As he began searching, he heard a beep come from his phone and immediately pulled back to see what it was. His phone was flashing "Duncan Cell" at him. Logan was weary of switching over, worried he would lose Veronica on the other line. However, he wasn't terribly sure he hadn't already lost her, and quickly switched to Duncan. 

"Yeah," Logan answered, impatiently, still combing through the contents of his vehicle.

"Logan! Hey, where are you?" Duncan asked. Logan thought he heard Keith in the background telling him to turn right.

"I'm on… uh… Sycamore Lane," Logan responded, having finally found his huge black flashlight.

"Really?" Duncan asked, "Yeah… I think I see you."

Logan turned to see a car driving towards him begin to slow. He brought his hand up to shield his eyes from the headlights. Logan was relieved to see the lights turn off and immediately went about trying to get Veronica's cell phone back. He prayed that he'd pushed the right button as Keith and Duncan simultaneously got out of the car and jogged over to him. He was grateful when he saw "Duncan Cell" disappear and "Veronica Cell" reappear.

"Logan…" Keith said, "Do you know…" He drifted off as his eyes caught a glimpse of Veronica's car. "Oh God," he moaned.

Logan put a hand on his shoulder as he started to walk towards it, "She's not in there. She got out, and left Aaron in there unconscious." He sighed before continuing, "I had her on the phone the whole time. I was a minute away when I heard her scream… and then nothing… she was gone. I think Aaron's got her in the woods."

Keith nodded solemnly, "Yes… that's what the GPS is indicating." He held it up for the three of them to see. The little blinking light was shown as being straight in front of them into the woods. Keith handed the system to Duncan, and pulled his gun out of his belt. "Logan I want you to follow me. Duncan I need you to stay here. Call the police, tell them where we are. If anything happens to either of us, you're Veronica's last shot," Keith instructed. He handed Duncan his other gun, "You are to come in after us with this only if you feel it is absolutely necessary. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," Duncan answered instantly.

"Let's go," Keith said, motioning for Logan to follow him. They began jogging into the woods, Logan behind Keith with his flashlight aiming down at the ground. Duncan fished for his phone and dialed 911.

Logan ran along behind Keith, holding his flashlight in one hand and pressing his phone to his ear with the other. They'd been going along for a while when suddenly something caught his eye, and he stopped dead in his tracks. "Keith!" he called out.

Keith turned to see Logan kneeling down on the ground. As he got closer, Logan turned to face him. He frowned deeply as he held up Veronica's discarded cell phone.

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Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed! I won't bribe you again, but please review anyway, I love it so! 


	12. Chapter 12

Summary: Set near the end of A Trip to the Dentist. This is how the scene with the ceiling fan should have went down… LoVe style.

Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars, lucky Mr. Rob Thomas does.

Author's Note: Thanks again to all my loyal readers and reviewers, you guys are amazing! You're even bribing me now... :sniffle: I'm so proud. :) Here's your next chapter. Sorry there isn't any LoVe interaction yet. No worries, it's coming I promise you. We just have to get through the action sequences, lol. Enjoy!

* * *

Veronica struggled against the man who was currently dragging her across the ground. He had caught her before she managed to get two feet away from him, pulled her down, and gagged her with a sleeve he'd ripped off his shirt. While he moved her from the road, he tied her hands behind her back with the other sleeve. When he heard Logan's voice calling out her name, he begun to pull her through the trees at a rapid speed.

"That stunt you pulled back there means we won't be able to follow through with my exact plans for you," he grumbled, pushing through some branches. "But your little stunt has also royally pissed me off!" he practically screamed, pulling her face up to his. They began jogging again with Veronica stumbling over her own feet as she tried to gain control over her body.

"Ah ha!" Aaron exclaimed, holding up his index finger. They had just come upon a hill, at the bottom of which was a creek. "This'll do just fine," he said giving her a little shove ahead of him. Without the use of her arms as balance, Veronica tripped and fell, tumbling down the hill and hitting everything in her path. She rolled to a stop at the bottom, finding herself in excruciating pain. She curled herself into a little ball searching for relief from it.

He strolled up to her, "So, Veronica… where _are_ those tapes?" he reached down, grabbing her by the shoulders and flipping her on her back. Veronica screamed into the cloth in her mouth as his hand grabbed the side of her face in a mock romantic gesture. She began to cry as his hand trailed down her neck and the rest of her body, "It's really too bad, Veronica. You and I could've had a lot of fun." He reached his hand into the pocket of her apron, taking the opportunity to caress her thigh, "Oooo, here they are." Just as his hand moved to grab the tapes, Veronica let her leg fly out and kick him the chest.

* * *

Back on the street, Duncan was pacing nervously after giving the call to the police. They'd said they would have units to his location as quickly as possible. They hadn't arrived yet however, and he got more and more anxious by the second. He had reached the point of going against Keith's orders and running into the woods after them when he heard the sound of a motorcycle coming around the corner. He had hopes that it would be a police officer, but the second the person came into view, it was obvious that that was not the case. 

The motorcyclist pulled up next to Duncan and removed his helmet, showing himself to be none other than Weevil.

"What are you doing here?" Duncan asked, trying to be intimidating while being somewhat scared for his life. Being alone in the middle of the night, in a very deserted location with Eli Navarro was not his idea of a good time.

"Why are _you_ here?" Weevil responded, dismounting his bike.

Duncan swallowed, "To try and help save Veronica. She's-"

Weevil cut him off, "I know I know." He took a deep breath before continuing, "I'm here for the same reason, because as much as the girl drives me crazy… I don't want her to die. And if I can kill Aaron Echolls in the process of saving her… that'd be a bonus."

Duncan nodded, glad to discover they were on the same side, "How'd you find out where she was?"

"I talked to her earlier tonight. When the girl's freaked out, she likes to ramble. She mentioned where she was at one point. I led the guys home and came straight here," he answered. "So let's cut the chit chat. Where are they?"

"Right. Well, Aaron took Veronica in the woods and Mr. Mars and Logan just went after them. The cops are on their way," Duncan filled in succinctly.

"And you're doing… what, exactly?" Weevil asked, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

Duncan was silent a moment, "I called the cops. I'm supposed to wait here. Veronica's dad said to only go in after them if I thought it was absolutely necessary.

"Right… I'm beginning to see why that was such a good idea." Weevil started walking away from him and across the street.

"Wait! What are you doing?" he asked starting after him.

Weevil turned around and held out and extended hand indicating for him to stop, "No, no, no. You stay here like you were told. I'll go fight the bad guy."

Duncan stopped in his tracks, hurt by his comment, "Sure." Weevil started to jog towards the woods. "It's too bad you don't know where they are," Duncan said in a knowing voice.

Weevil stopped at the edge of the trees, "What do you know?"

Duncan held up the GPS, that now had a blinking light indicating where Veronica's cell phone was headed. Weevil squinted at it, "Get over here!" Duncan came over to him, and once he was within feet Weevil reached out for it, "Hand it over."

Duncan contemplated disobeying Weevil's order, but quickly came to his senses and did as he was asked. Weevil took it and oriented himself in the direction of the flashing light. "Okay," he said, "You stay here. Show the cops this when they get here." Duncan felt the GPS tracking system being thrust into his hands once again as Weevil turned and started running through the woods.

* * *

Logan watched as Keith's face fell in disappointment, "That's not good… that's not good at all." He shook his head back and forth slowly. 

Dejected after seeing a great loss of hope in Veronica's father, Logan flipped his phone shut before pocketing both his and Veronica's cell phone. "What do we do now?" Logan asked, standing up beside Keith.

The older man stood silently for a moment, looking around him at the wide expanse of forest surrounding them.

* * *

Aaron let out a cry as he fell over backwards. Veronica tried to take advantage of his surprise by getting to her feet, and turning to run. Before she got far, she felt her entire head fly backwards as he grabbed her hair and pulled. She was thankful she still had her wig on, as she then felt herself freed from his grasp. She ran as fast as she could, but her motions were restricted and the gag in her mouth made breathing difficult. 

She could suddenly feel cold earth against her face as she was tackled from behind. Aaron rolled her over so that she was facing him. He positioned himself over her with his legs straddling her hips. "You're really making this difficult!" he yelled through grated teeth. "Lilly didn't fight nearly as much. And so I tried to make her death somewhat painless, considering she was just some stupid little girl who didn't know any better. But you…" he drifted off before moving to kneel beside her and then rolling her over onto her stomach again. She was confused until she felt her nose come into contact with water. She pushed up against his hand on the back of her head in order to get one last, deep breath. Then her head was submerged in the icy water of the creek. As she fought and struggled against him, she could hear him laughing above her.

_This is it… He's going to kill me._

She was thrashing her head, trying desperately to get her mouth to the surface, if only for a moment. The creek was lined with stones, and during her blind, forceful movement she hit her head on one of them. Inadvertently she gasped and water enter her mouth finding it's way down into her lungs. Veronica began to feel the world slip away and as she went limp in Aaron's arms.

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:evil grin: Review! And maybe I won't let Veronica die. :) Just kidding! But, do please review, you know I love it and it'll make my fingers type the new chapter faster... 


	13. Chapter 13

Summary: Set near the end of A Trip to the Dentist. This is how the scene with the ceiling fan should have went down… LoVe style. And then the rest of the season based on that change.

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own the TV Show Veronica Mars or any of the characters, they're the property of Rob Thomas.

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I'm so so grateful for the copious amount of feedback I've been receiving lately. You guys are amazing. I know some of you have requested longer chapters, and I appologize that this isn't one. : ( I've been super busy because a ton of my friends have been having graduation parties and I'm trying to get a job. So I haven't had as much time to write. But I figured this would hold you over for a while. Alright, that was long, here goes...

* * *

Keith and Logan had begun to wander aimlessly through the forest, hoping for a sign indicating where they could find Veronica. They both stopped suddenly when they heard the crunching of footsteps falling on leaves behind them. Keith whipped around, holding his gun out at arm's length.

"Who, woh!" Weevil said holding his hands up in surrender, "I'm here to help."

Keith slowly lowered his gun, looking to Logan for reassurance that Weevil was telling the truth.

"Yeah… Despite being the reason my face looks like it got run over by a truck…" he started, glaring in Weevil's direction, "I think he's telling the truth."

Keith nodded, "Remind me to ask you about that when we have more time." He took a deep breath before continuing, "As much as I hate to say it, I think we need to split up. These woods are too big and we have too little time to continue searching for her in a group."

Logan and Weevil both nodded their head in agreement. "So how should we do this?" Logan asked. Just as Keith was about to respond they heard the sound of someone yelling off in the distance.

Keith's head whipped towards Logan, "Did you hear that?"

Logan nodded assertively, "Yeah. It sounded like my dad."

The three of them quickly began to run in the direction of the sound, pushing through the brush and low hanging branches, with no regard to their own pain as they were whipped in the face. They ran until Keith slowed as he came upon a steep hill leading down to a creek. Keith held up his finger telling them to be silent. They all scanned the area before Logan and Weevil were given the signal to follow behind Keith. His gun was drawn once again as he moved his eyes back and forth trying to spot any movement. His upper body jerked to the left and he froze just before reaching the bottom of the hill, his eye having caught a glimpse of someone moving through the trees. Keith broke into a dead run once he realized that the movement was for sure that of Aaron Echolls. Logan and Weevil took off after him.

Keith ran along the creek, his eyes glued to Aaron's fleeting form. Once he got him into sight and within range he took a shot, managing to get Aaron in the upper leg. He went down, and Keith began running again to catch him before he could try and get away again.

Weevil's eyes were also set on Aaron and he followed straight after Keith. Logan was about to do the same when a flash of blonde hair caught his attention. His eyes darted right to find the gruesome sight of Veronica laying face down in the water. "Veronica!" he screamed in terror, racing to her side. He slid to his knees and wrapped his arms around her body, flipping her face up. He laid her down and knelt beside her, taking her face in his hands. "Veronica!" he yelled again. He grabbed her wrist, placing his index finger over the inside of it, feeling for her pulse. Fear enveloped him as his finger felt nothing. Tears began streaming down his face as he tried to remember what one was supposed to do in a situation like this. It was then that he noticed the blood start to stream down the side of her face. "Oh God…" he moaned as he ripped his button down shirt off, balled it up, and pressed it to her head. She wasn't breathing, and the only he knew to do was give her CPR. Logan bent over, held her nose and breathed into her mouth before placing his hands on her chest and pumping to expel the air.

Keith watch Aaron attempt to crawl away as he drew nearer and nearer to him. As Keith was about to tackle him and hold his hands behind his back, Aaron flipped over on his back and sent out a sharp kick to his stomach. Keith flew backwards, the gun flying out of his hand.

"Mr. Mars!" Weevil yelled, sprinting towards the discarded gun as he saw Aaron make a move for it.

Aaron beat Weevil there and was attempting to stand. Weevil ran straight up to him and punched him in the face. Aaron was slightly startled, but refocused enough to punch Weevil back. Weevil barely faltered before grabbing Aaron's wrist with both hands and slammed it against a tree in an attempt to get him to let go of the gun. After the third time it worked, but Weevil's triumph was soon forgotten as Aaron's elbow cocked back and flew into Weevil's nose. He screamed out as he fell to his knees in agony. Aaron laughed as he reached down for the gun. The smile fell from his face when he looked down and saw that it wasn't there.

"Where's my daughter?" Keith asked from a few feet away, having regained possession of his weapon. He had yet to see Veronica.

Aaron laughed again, "Over there." He pointed behind Keith, "And my son is valiantly trying to save her life. He sure knows how to make his dad proud."

Keith wavered slightly before taking a quick glance over his shoulder. He gasped as he caught a glimpse of Veronica laying on the ground with Logan hovering over her. His face whipped back to Aaron, his entire body seething with anger. He reached in his pocket and threw his cell phone to Weevil, "Call the police, tell them where we are and that we need paramedics _immediately_." Weevil ignored the throbbing of his face as he quickly did as he was told.

"Come on, baby," Logan whispered as he felt for her pulse once again. He frantically returned to giving her CPR when he felt little or no difference. She still wasn't breathing. He breathed into her mouth once more, before moving to push against her chest. "Come on, don't leave me now," he begged.

* * *

Alright... more suspense, I know. Sorry, it'll be relieved soon. I promise! Let me know how I'm doing!


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: This is going to be a long note... First of all, I'm so sorry to everyone who was so faithfully reading this story. I have let you down with this LONG break in the story, and at a very inopportune moment in the story. I hope, but do not anticipate, many of you being drawn back to the story by this. I appologize second for the fact that this is a rather angsty chapter. The cause of the angsty feeling in me being also the reason it took me so long to write this. If that makes any sense. Mostly I've had a very trying past few months and didn't have the desire to write. I feel like that desire is returning, and I'm feeling inspired by Snow Patrol's glorious music, which makes an appearance in this chapter. I'm also inspired by all the LoVe that's going on in the actual show right now! woo hoo!

Disclaimer: lyrics are from the song "The Finish Line" and belong to Snow Patrol. I don't own Veronica Mars either, as much as I'd like to.

* * *

He was surrounded by cold water, and sounds of people rushing around, trying to make sense of everything. He wrapped his arms around her small, lifeless body, clutching it to him. Sobs of ache wracked his chest, as he shook uncontrollably. He was helpless and detached. The world was only the two of them. Trying to warm her cold skin he pulled his sweatshirt around her; he tried to make her feel alive. 

_The earth is warm next to my ear_

_Insect noise is all that I hear_

_A magic trick makes the world disappear_

_The skies are dark, they're dark but they're clear_

There were suddenly voices close behind him and he turned his face sharply towards the invaders. There was a man and a woman in dark blue uniforms with their names written in white on the left and EMT written in red on the right. His brain registered this as they stole her from his arms and laid her down on the flat ground nearby.

_A distant motorcade and suddenly there's joy_

_The snowing ticker-tape blurs all my senses numb_

_It's like the finish line where everything just ends_

_The crack of radio seems close enough to touch_

He remained frozen, knelt in the cold water up to his waist. His arms lay limp on his lap, staring without focus at the backs of the EMTs as they moved mechanically, following their protocol to try and revive her. They turned her face to the side and as they pushed against her stomach, water began to flow from her mouth. He looked away, falling forward onto his hands and throwing up.

"Logan!" Weevil yelled, walking to the water's edge and reaching his hand out.

_Cold water cleaning my wounds_

_A sad parade with a single balloon_

_I'm done with this, I'm counting to ten_

_Bluest seas running to them_

Logan turned to him, his jaw open slightly as a tear rolled down his cheek. He reached his wet sleeve up to wipe his mouth and tried to sit up. He looked at Weevil's outstretched arm and then past him to see two police officers forcefully walking his dad up the hill and back out of the woods. Keith then entered his sight, walking as though a zombie, towards where his daughter lay. He recognized the look on Keith's face as he fell to the ground near her. Helplessness. It was all he had felt since he saw her beautiful blonde hair waving in the water. There was nothing he could do to save her. It was out of his hands.

His eyes looked to her fingers, seeing their stiffness. They'd never again gently brush his cheek before she kissed him. They'd never again comb through his hair. They'd never again set a fire under his skin. The lips he loved to kiss were purple and blurry from the plastic of the oxygen mask that covered them. They'd never again utter his name. They'd never again smile and light up his world.

_I feel like I am watching everything from space_

_And in a minute I'll hear my name and I'll wake_

_I think the finish line's a good place we could start_

_Take a deep breath, take in all that you could want

* * *

_

Yep, it was a sad one. Had to get it out though. Please review, I'd really love some moral boosting right now. : ) I know that you will be anxiously awaiting the next chapter which will be HAPPY... if i'm happy, and get reviews. ; ) love you all! 


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of Veronica Mars... but don't you wish I did? hahaha

Author's Note: Hello to all my lovely and loyal readers out there! You have no idea the joy it brought me to see how many of you came back to this story after so long. To try and make up for my absence I'm releasing two chapters at once! You all inspired me so much I couldn't stop writing. They would have been out even sooner if I hadn't tried to write a page of it while I was pretty much... well asleep. Anyway, please please enjoy! Thanks to all of my anonymous reviewers, whom I couldn't thank individually: amanda, Molly, MackeyPac, shelley, milly and Jessica. You all surely contributed to my speedy writing. Read away...

* * *

He stared at her. Catatonic. Deaf and blind to the world that was closing in around him. There was nothing for him without her.

_All this feels strange and untrue_

_And I won't waste a minute without you_

_My bones ache, my skin feels cold_

_And I'm getting so tired and so old_

It was then that he saw it. Her body which had lain frozen before his eyes, suddenly moved. He was sure of it. He focused his view on her stomach as it rose just slightly and then fell. Again, he stared unblinkingly as her chest rose as though breathing in and then exhaled. The side of his mouth turned up in a half smile and something akin to a laugh escaped his lips.

A hand strongly grabbed his shoulder, "Hey… Don't give up yet. You know she's not going that easy."

He looked up into Weevil's face, his grin still present, "Look…" he pointed to her, "She's breathing." He watched as Weevil's head snapped to the side and then back to him. He began to shake with sobs of relief as he felt arms pull him up to stand and walk over to her. He sniffled as he looked down upon her still unconscious form.

"Why isn't she awake?" he asked, somewhat childlike.

The female EMT looked back over her shoulder at the broken boy and smiled sympathetically, "Her vitals are still a little weak, but we got her back. It appears she took a pretty hard hit to the head, so she likely has a concussion. We're going to take her to the hospital and make sure she doesn't have more serious damage than our initial assessments can determine."

_The anger swells in my guts_

_And I won't feel these slices and cuts_

_I want so much to open your eyes_

_Cause I need you to look into mine_

_Tell me that you'll open your eyes_

_Tell me that you'll open your eyes_

As he took this in with Keith on his right and Weevil on his left, a few more EMTs ran down the hill with a stretcher. He watched silently as they gently moved her onto it. As the others around him began to move, he slowly trailed those who were maneuvering her carefully out of the woods. As he neared the edge of the trees the bright lights of the multiple ambulances, fire trucks and police cars grew brighter.

He shielded his eyes as he felt as though he were walking onto a movie set. People fluttered around him, and as a few of them stopped to try and fix his and Weevil's wounds, he momentarily lost track of where they'd taken her. His eyes searched for her frantically as someone attempted to dab at the cuts on his face. Finally after what seemed hours, he spotted them hoisting her into an ambulance. He pushed past everyone in his way until he reached the doors. Keith was already inside with her, holding her hand tightly. Despite feeling as though he may be intruding, he tried to get inside, but was stopped by a hand pushing against his chest, "I'm sorry, sir. Family only." His breath caught in his chest as they started closing the doors on him.

His pleading eyes somehow made eye contact with Keith as he responded to the loud voice of the EMT. Through the back window he observed Keith leaning over and then pointing to the doors. The guy nodded reluctantly before pushing open the door and ushering him inside. He jumped inside immediately, taking a seat next to the man he currently owed his sanity.

"Thanks," he said in a heartfelt tone, his eyes still glued on her.

"You were essential in saving my daughter tonight. You deserve to be here," he said, slightly choked up.

One of the EMTs suddenly interrupted, "Does either of you know how long she was unconscious before we arrived on the scene?"

As the one who had been with her, he opened and closed his mouth a few times before responding, "Maybe five minutes… I don't know. I didn't have a very good concept of time, or anything else…"

His eyes squinted at her to decipher what she planned to use the information for as she stared intently at her watch.

"What's going on?" he asked, somewhat demanding.

"As of right now, she may simply be unconscious from the blow she received to the head," she took a deep breath before continuing, "She may, however, have more serious internal damage than we know. Which could be a result of that trauma or of being unconscious for such a time as she was… or both."

He stared blankly at her, along with Keith. "You're talking about possible brain damage," he choked out.

She closed her eyes to him a moment before nodding her head, "But we really can't know for sure at this point. We need to examine and monitor her further before we can come to any conclusion."

_Get up, get out, get away from these liars_

_Cause they don't get your soul or your fire_

_Take my hand, knot your fingers through mine_

_And we'll walk from this dark room for the last time_

The joy he had felt at seeing her breathe was replaced with dread. He had been too quick to celebrate her revival. Just as likely that she would be herself again, was the possibility that she would never even wake up. Apparently waking up didn't even guarantee she'd ever be herself again. He closed his eyes as despair began creeping back into his veins.

The next thing he knew, everyone was rushing out of the ambulance. He quickly begins jogging behind the stretcher that's rolling fast down the hallway away from him. For the second time that night he feels a hand against his chest, stopping him from going with her. His body stopped abruptly, making his tennis shoes squeak against the shiny linoleum floor. The world disappeared as he watched her get smaller and smaller in the distance until they push her beyond a set of swinging doors and out of his sight. Defeated, he walked with Keith to slump in the hard, plastic chairs of the waiting room. He looked over at Keith who is staring blankly ahead of him.

As he started to allow his heavy lids to close a middle aged woman in a nurses' uniform approached him. He looked up at her with empty eyes and she shook her head, "Come with me, honey."

He wanted to protest, but she took his hand and led him to the nurses station. He didn't feel like fighting her. He wasn't strong enough. Stopping at the desk, she let go of his hand, "Wait here, just a minute. I'll be right back."

His tired body slumped against the desk, laying his cheek on the cold marble. She tapped his shoulder a moment later, "Here, hon. Take these." A pair of pants and a long sleeved shirt were placed softly in his hands. "There's a restroom right over there that you can change in," she instructed, pointing to her right.

He looked at her slightly confused, until he looked down at his own clothes, soaked in blood, dirt and water. He swallowed, "Thanks."

She smiled at him sincerely, gently squeezing his shoulder, "You're welcome."

When he flicked the light on in the restroom, he was greeted by a stranger staring back at him from the mirror. His eyes looked into himself with shock. He reached a weary hand up to his face and rubbed his eyes before looking again, the image unchanged. His eyes were red and his hair and face was smeared with mud. There were streaks of hardened blood from having his head beaten in mixed with streaks of dried tears from having his heart ripped out. He quickly averted his eyes and changed into the dry, clean clothes. He threw his old ones in the trash, not willing to ever see her blood stains on them again. He went to the sink and rested his elbows on the edge, putting his head in his hands. The heels of his hands pressed into his forehead in frustration, before he mechanically tried to clean his face. As he left he looked at himself once more. The blood, tears and dirt were gone, but the vacant look in his eyes remained.

He returned to his chair, getting barely a look from Keith. Exhaustion overtook him as he pulled one foot up onto the chair, rested his head on his knee and passed out. He saw her behind his closed eyelids.

_Every minute from this minute now_

_We can do what we like anywhere_

_I want so much to open your eyes_

_Cause I need you to look into mine

* * *

_

_She was perfect, smiling and happy. He ran to her. Worry was etched in his face as she eluded him. Finally he reached her, gently taking hold of her tiny wrist and turning her to face him. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her._

"_Are you okay?" he breathed, moving back to take her face in his hands and look deep into her eyes._

_Veronica rolled her eyes, "Of course I am, Mr. Worry Pants. Why wouldn't I be? I'm here with you." With that she smiled and snaked her hands up behind his neck, placing a kiss on his nose._

_He sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and then stroked her cheek, "You got hurt… They weren't sure you'd make it out alright."_

_She laughed lightly at his distress, "Ye of little faith. I wasn't going to let a little thing like being drowned and having my head bumped on a rock take me away from you."_

_He swallowed hard, "I was just so scared… I couldn't save you. I wanted so badly-"_

_She shushed him placing a finger over his lips, "It's okay. I'm fine. You'll see…"_

_With that she turned and walked away, too quickly for him to follow. "Veronica!" he yelled after her, running as fast as he could as she faded into oblivion, "Veronica, wait!"_

"_Logan!" _

_He stopped abruptly, looking around as he heard his name called._

"_Veronica?" he asked, panicked._

"Logan!" a distinctly masculine voice said, now much closer, and he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He bolted upright in his chair and blinked hard.

"What…?" he asked softly, and then turned to look at a concerned and tired Keith.

"Logan… you were yelling… In your sleep," he sighed, "You were calling out Veronica's name."

He swallowed hard at the realization that it had been all a dream. His chin quivered, "I-I'm sorry."

Keith's throat constricted as he used the hand that was still on his shoulder to pull him into a tight embrace. The two clung to each other for a moment until they heard loud, quick footsteps approaching them. They broke apart immediately, standing to meet the doctor that approached them.

_Tell me that you'll open your eyes_

_Tell me that you'll open your eyes_

_Tell me that you'll open your eyes_

_Tell me that you'll open your eyes…

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_

Oh, is the suspense killing you yet???? Well, then what are you waiting for: ) Read the next chapter silly.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Nope... still don't own any of the characters of Veronica Mars. Wish I did though, cause I'd pretty much be in heaven.

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"How is she?" Keith asked, not even trying to attempt to remain calm.

The doctor smiled tightly, "We had to give her ten stitches to patch up the cut that ran from her temple to her forehead. The blow to her head luckily was not substantial enough to cause her skull to fracture, and after looking at her CT scan she doesn't appear to have brain damage beyond what we'd normally see from a head injury like this. In other words, she doesn't seem to have sustained additional damage from the length of time she wasn't breathing. This is very good news, as it was one of my main concerns. We also haven't found any degree of internal bleeding. All of these things are very positive in favor of a full recovery. She was very lucky."

He had visibly began to relax throughout the doctor's speech, and saw Keith's mouth turn up a bit as a tear ran down his cheek.

He then realized tears were also leaking from his eyes and wiped them away, "So can we see her?" He sniffled softly, "Is she awake?"

The doctor's mouth opened and he took a second's pause before answering, "She's been relatively unresponsive up to this point, but after what her body's been through that is expected. You can go see her," he answered, looking at Keith only. "But she really can't handle much excitement right now. She's going to need all the rest she can get. Also… it's likely she may have some temporary amnesia about some things, so it may be best not to ask her any questions."

"I understand… Is there any way that he can come with?" Keith asked, motioning towards him.

Expectantly he awaited the response, but Dr. Kline as his tag read, only shook his head, "I really can only allow one person at a time, and I must advise that she be allowed to sleep as soon as possible." He made eye contact with him, and the pain in them was evident. Dr. Kline sighed, "One at a time. I want her asleep in half an hour. As long as you abide by those rules, I'll allow him to see her."

"I'll be back for you," Keith promised as he followed the doctor down the hallway.

A smile crept across his face at the prospect of being with her, and talking to her. He thought of returning to the chair he'd recently vacated, but was too anxious to sit. He bounced on his heels and paced back and forth in front of the blue line where they'd been separated what seemed like so long ago. He'd been staring at his shoes and counting the tiles on the floor when Keith's hand grasped his shoulder.

"Down the hall, turn right after the double doors. She's in room 148," he said quickly, with a grin on his face, and eyes red from joyful tears.

He took off in a dead sprint that hadn't been broken out since his junior high days of running track. He dodged medical personnel and pushed his way past the doors, careening around the corner. His eyes darted to the numbers on the doors until he screeched to a halt in front of 148. He froze, looking through the small window. The room was dark except for a small light above her bed. She looked like an angel, lit up from the inside. He swallowed the lump in his throat as his trembling hand reached for the door handle. He gained the courage and entered the room silently. The monitors around her beeped quietly as he spanned the space between them to sit in the chair next to her bed. Tears threatened to spill again as his finger tips brushed the hand laying gently at her side. His eyes watched as a miracle happened before him; her eyelids fluttered and then opened. He let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding in, as her gaze met his.

"You found me," she breathed, turning her hand over to clasp his much larger hand within hers.

He immediately knew that she wasn't referring to her hospital room, "I had to… I'm just sorry I couldn't get there fast enough to prevent this from happening to you… From him doing this to you. When I saw you laying there… And you weren't breathing… I couldn't make you breathe…" He buried his face in his hands, one still enveloped in hers.

"Shh…" she whispered to him, obviously drained of energy as he felt her fingers comb through his hair. "Everything's okay now," she assured, cupping his cheek and tilting his head to look at her. He nodded to her, unable to help noticing her fight to keep her eyes open.

"You need to sleep," he forced himself to say. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was leave her.

"I'm fine," she said, her voice still hushed, and without the strength that was usually so present.

He sighed and kissed the back of her hand before setting it to rest on her stomach. His hand reached out and began stroking her hair softly. He smiled as her eyes fluttered back to a closed position and she took a deep calming breath.

"I should go. They'll be coming to kick me out any minute," he whispered, brushing her brow with his thumb, carefully avoiding the spot marred by ten stitches. It was painful to even think of taking his eyes off of her. It had been hard for him to even blink for fear that in that split second she would disappear. "Do you need anything?" he asked.

She shook her head very slightly, and mumbled something incoherent that he could, at least, determine was negative.

"Okay… Well, I promise that I'll be right outside until they let me back in to see you," he insisted, wanting to grab her and hold her tight to him, but she looked so fragile that he didn't think he should. "Goodnight, Veronica," he said into her hair as he kissed the top of her head. He pulled back and forced his feet to turn and head for the door.

Then he felt her hand brush his, "Don't…" Her plea was so soft, he wasn't sure he'd heard anything. When he turned around she was looking at him, "Don't go…"

He almost cried at the desperation in her voice as he quickly closed the space between them to stand over her, "Leaving you is the last thing I want to be doing."

"Then don't," she begged, and his heart broke all over again.

He closed his eyes, so as not to look in her eyes, "They said you need to sleep, so that you can get better." He looked at her again, "I need you to get better."

"I need you here," she amended, and he had no response. He didn't want to prove her wrong. "And if I need sleep, we'll sleep." She pulled the covers up and tried to scoot herself over to one half of the bed. Seeing her slight strain, he scooped his arms under her and easily moved her over.

"We're going to get in so much trouble for this," she grinned as he slipped his shoes off.

She smiled, and his heart leapt into his throat as he climbed in beside her. "Naa… They won't disturb us. I need my rest, remember?" she mumbled, allowing his arm to wrap around her shoulders.

"Yeah, well… I think your dad might finally be starting to like me, so he's more what I'm worried about," he replied softly, burying his nose into her hair and inhaling deeply. "'Night, Ronnie," he told her, as he felt her breathing slow.

"'Night," she responded, nuzzling her head body closer to him.

He laid awake feeling her breathe in and out against his chest, and feeling her twitch ever so slightly as she dreamed. He didn't want to fall asleep, wanting to be alert so that he could protect her from everything. But soon the day began to take its toll on him, and he knew he couldn't fight it much longer. His arms held her tighter and silently thanked whoever was responsible for keeping her here with him. They both had been through more danger and turmoil together in one day than most people see in a lifetime. There was a bond between them now that would forever entangle his life with hers and his heart with hers, just as his fingers were with hers as they were finally able to rest in each other's arms.

* * *

See, Veronica's alive and well. Yay! Alright... my plan from here is to write a cute, snarky, witty, fun conclusion to this and have it out to you relatively soon. However, that means the story is almost over. : ( I had debated in the past rewirting the second season as well, but I've seen (but not read) a few stories out there with the same premise. For that reason, I'm unsure I am going to tackle that. I'd love love love to hear what you guys think. What do you want me to do? I'm now back in the writing mode and would love to continue giving you LoVe stories to read. Hope you've enjoyed it, be looking for the fun Epilogue soon! 


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Don't own anything that has to do with Veronica Mars. Or Doc Martens.

Author's Note: Ah... the time has finally come. The last chapter!! Oh the sadness and the joy. Thank you to all of you who've reviewed this story. I love you all. Sorry I didn't get a chance to thank you all personally this go round, I've been feeling pretty under the weather, so it was tough to even finish this. And in response to your pretty much overwhelming plea that I do a season 2 rewrite, I've been doing my homework. And hopefully sometime soon I'll get that in the works. I just need to get myself a plot line first. : ) I hope you enjoy the ending! Read away...

* * *

"Alright Patches, it's time to go home," Logan announced as he burst into Veronica's hospital room.

She glared at him, making the white gauze patch that covered a good portion of her face look even more ridiculous, and he laughed. He walked over and kissed her softly on the lips, setting one of Veronica's messenger bags on the floor. The 'Patches' comment was quickly forgotten. She sighed, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling, "I'm gonna miss this place… All the cherry Jello one can consume, an adjustable bed, getting waited on hand and foot…"

"The sexy open-backed hospital gowns…" Logan mused, as he started to wrap his arms around her and move his hands downward.

Veronica quickly swatted his bicep as he kissed her neck and drew circles on the small of her back with his fingertips, "Hey! You are so taking advantage of my weakened state of mind and body…" He kept kissing along her collarbone. "Not fair…" she sighed as he grinned against her skin. His lips broke contact with her skin suddenly as he pulled back and she pouted, "Now that's just not nice."

Logan laughed softly, "Well, we somehow got away with sleeping together the first night, sneaking you in Chinese take out, and making out while your dad talked to a nurse outside the door… I'm trying not to press my luck."

"Fine…" she stuck her bottom lip out further.

"When did I become the rational one?" Logan asked with a smile, sitting beside her on the bed.

She absently tapped the patch covering her stitches, and then shook her head, "Nope. No idea when that could have happened."

Logan smiled wryly, rolling his eyes at her attempt to joke about her injury. He was about to respond when a loud voice came from behind him.

"Ronnie!"

Both Logan and Veronica turned to stare at Dick standing in the room with his arms stretched wide open.

"My favorite person in the whole world," he continued, before sauntering over to stand beside her bed. "What's up?" he asked, looking between the two, who continued to stare in amazement.

"What are you doing here?" Veronica replied with an icy glare.

"Woh woh woh… I come in peace," he rose his hands in surrender.

Veronica opened her mouth to retort, but Logan covered her mouth with his hand. "I asked him to come here," he said with a sigh.

"Yeah, that's right," Dick said, straightening up to his full height.

She looked at him, mouth slightly open in awe of his immaturity. Her attention turned back to Logan, "The next obvious question would be… Why?"

"Your dad drove me here this morning and when we arrived, he was told that he was needed at the station immediately. He wanted me to tell you that he's sorry he couldn't be here to take you home, by the way," he paused briefly, taking a glance at the still smug looking Dick, "So I called and asked Dick if he could bring me my car."

Veronica groaned, "Wasn't there someone else you could've called?"

"Hello? Standing right here," Dick interjected, before asking incredulously, "What'd I do to you, anyway?"

"Hmm… Let's see… You called me a skank," she spat.

Before Dick could respond, Logan looked at him pointedly, "Right, speaking of that. Wasn't there something you wanted to tell Veronica?"

"Ummm… No, I don't think so," he replied, a confused look on his face.

"Yeah, you told me over the phone, remember?" he asked, glaring at him.

Dick thought a moment longer, before seemingly having an epiphany, "Right!" He became somber and turned to Veronica, kneeling beside her bed. "Ronnie… I've been a real jerk to you these past few… well, pretty much your whole life, but especially lately. And I want you to know that I feel really bad about it." Veronica rolled her eyes as he continued. "And…" he looked to Logan, "Is there anything else I wanted to tell her?"

Veronica nearly laughed out loud, and Logan simply smacked the back of his head.

"Oh yeah," he glared, rubbing his head, "So, I'm like really sorry. And from now on, I hope we can be friends." He said it with mock seriousness, earning another smack from Logan.

"Wow, Dick. That was beautiful. Thank you. I'll take your friendship request under consideration and get back to you… Oh let's say… Never," she looked at him with disdain.

"Uh!" Dick uttered, disgusted, "I so try and be a nice guy for once, and this is what I get."

"Hmmm… Maybe if this weren't your first attempt in 18 years," she paused for emphasis, "You might have had better luck."

Dick stood up and started to lean in over her and respond, but Logan's hand grabbing the back of his shirt stopped him. "Now children, play nice," he said with little amusement, continuing to pull on Dick until he was a good couple yards away from the fuming Veronica. He reached down and grabbed the bag he'd brought for her, "Hey, why don't you go change, so we can get out of here?" He smiled at her, silently begging for her forgiveness, and placed the bag on her lap.

"Yeah, sure," she said before mouthing the following, "You owe me big time."

Logan nodded knowingly, "Dick, why don't you go wait outside?"

He scoffed, "Gladly."

Logan closed his eyes as he heard the door close behind them, "I'm so sorry."

She shrugged, smiling at him, "Don't be." Veronica ran her fingers through his hair before pulling back the covers and climbing out. Logan's eyes opened again as she laid the clothes that had picked out for her on the bed. He watched as her fingers reached behind her back to untie the strings. She was smirking at him as she cleared her throat.

Logan's eyes snapped up to meet hers, "Oh come on… Not even a peak?"

Her smirk remained planted on her lips as she slowly shook her head, "Nope."

He sighed and diligently turned slightly and covered his eyes with one hand. Veronica finished untying the gown when she was relatively satisfied that he wasn't looking. She shrugged it off of her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. Logan's fingers separated ever so slightly as she pulled a tank top on over her head. As she went to grab her jeans she caught the smallest gleam of his eye and let out a small yelp as she swatted him on the shoulder. Logan jumped off of the bed, no longer trying to hide his staring, and laughed at her as she fumbled with stepping into her jeans. After she'd zipped them closed, she sent him a steely glare, which only made him laugh harder.

"You are so…" she started with a frustrated tone.

He walked around the bed to wrap his arms around her, "So… Handsome? Charming?"

"Obnoxious was more the word I was looking for," she corrected, but she'd already started to soften in his arms.

"Oh Sugarpuss, you don't really mean that," he admonished, smiling down at her.

Veronica sighed reluctantly, "No…"

"Awe, see? You can't stay mad at me," he said swooping down to capture her lips in a passionate but brief kiss. Logan stepped away and gently slapped her on the butt, "Now let's get out of here so we can ditch Dick and get some quality make out time in before your dad comes home."

She laughed as she put on her jacket before slipping on her Doc Martens. Veronica threw the bag over her shoulder and took Logan's hand as they walked out the door.

_Despite having arguably the worst night of my life a few days ago, things are shaping up rather nicely. Lilly's killer is finally behind bars. Dad apprehended him, which seems to be restoring his reputation with the people of Neptune. And then there's Logan. I can't say things with him will ever be easy, but I do think I see "normal" in our future. For the first time in a long time, normal doesn't seem like such an impossibility._

The End (for now...)

_

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_It's over... It really is... Tear... I'll miss all of my faithful reviewers until I'm back with the sequel. Love you all!! 


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